Camp Rock Girl
by Authoress-in-training
Summary: Sometimes you have to leave a place to know that you belong right back in it.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: So I have probably five zillion other stories that could use my attention right now, but instead I'm starting yet another new project. This one started off as a prologue for _another_ Camp Rock story I have in the works (also Tess-centric), then became a one-shot, that turned into more of a drabble, until I finally realized it was too long for that and made into a chapter story. There won't be too many chapters, though - I have most of the story already planned out, and there definitely won't be more than like six or seven chapters.**

**I loved Camp Rock 2, but I kind of hate that they totally shoved Tess aside. Actually, I had a lot of complaints about what they did with Tess - which is how this story was born. Essentially, it's Camp Rock 2 from Tess's side of the story, with a few scenes that were never in the movie that I've added for the sake of a plot. (So it's drastically AU, of course, because we don't know what "really" happened.)**

**There's one more major thing I've added that wasn't there in the movie, but I'll wait and explain that after the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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Prologue

Camp Star really is nothing like Camp Rock.

Camp Rock was sunshine and warmth. Old wooden cabins with actual bunk beds, a mess hall with a buffet line and plastic trays, typical camp activities like arts and crafts and boating, movie nights and campfires and sing-alongs. The grounds looked like something out of an old movie about summer camp. There was emphasis on music and singing and being a star, of course, but overall, the Camp Rock experience was about having fun, being with friends, doing something you love, enjoying summer. Hollywood, fame, stardom… those could come or they could not, and no one would be all that upset about it. They all dreamt of stardom, but for most, all it would ever be was that – a dream.

Camp Star, on the other hand, was all glitter and glamour. Cabins that looked more like miniature hotels, a so-called mess hall that's really a gourmet restaurant, facilities that would rival Hollywood recording studios. It's all juxtaposed against the woods and mountains and trees and lake, looking almost painfully out of place. This was the place for serious performers – the ones who would do anything for a chance at fame and fortune and the bright lights of the paparazzi flashing. No price was too high if the end result was superstardom, because they know that it's not just a wish or a dream or a hope of _someday_ – it's an inevitability.

Tess Tyler is Camp Star. Hollywood is in her blood; glitter dust runs through her veins, sparkling like the star she knows she will become. When Axel announces that there are open spots, her cell phone is in her hand and her neatly manicured fingers dialing her mother's number before he even mentions the air-conditioning in the cabins. Never once does it occur to her that by making the switch, she'll be leaving the only place that she's ever really called home, the only friends that were ever really her friends, essentially trading them up for a glitzier version.

That's how they see her, she knows, now that she's on the other side of the lake. Like a spoiled child, abandoning her old toys the minute something shiny and new is dangled in front of her face. _How could Tess do this to us?_ she knows they'll say, gossiping about her over lunch. But it doesn't matter what they say, because _they_ don't matter anymore. She _has_ traded up, traded up a summer spent wasting her time with amateurs and little-kid games for the chance to further her talent and make connections at a place full of stars in the making, just like her.

Tess Tyler is Camp Star, through and through.

But late that first night, lying in her new plush bed in a cabin that's more like a five-star hotel room, she realizes just what she's given up, and wonders if maybe this was a mistake.

(She'll never admit to this, but that nagging suspicion, that lingering doubt, stays with her the whole summer.)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

When Tess first saw Luke Williams perform, the night of the Camp Rock/Camp Star bonfire, she was bowled over. He was _amazing_. On a whole other level from the rest of the people at Camp Rock. (And, she admits to herself, it doesn't hurt that he's devastatingly handsome.) How had she never met him before?

When they do meet for the first time, it's the morning after she makes the switch. Tess gets lost trying to find her way from her cabin to the mess hall for breakfast, and literally bumps into him. She blushes furiously as she picks herself up and dusts off her clothes – this was _not_ how she'd planned on making a good first impression. "I'm so sorry," she apologizes. "This was all my fault."

"You look familiar," he says, not even bothering to acknowledge her apology. Tess decides she doesn't care that he's being sort of rude. "Tess Tyler, right? TJ Tyler's daughter?"

"Yes, that's me."

"I didn't know you went here! How have we not met before?" Realization dawns on him. "Ah… you're one of the former Camp Rock-ers." He laughs, and Tess's blush deepens. "Well, welcome to Camp Star. I'm sure you'll like it a lot better over here than over _there_." He points to Camp Rock across the lake, his tone condescending when he talks about her former camp. Her first instinct is to defend Camp Rock, but then she remembers that she's as good as a traitor in their eyes, and bites her tongue. She doesn't owe them anything anymore.

"I already do. This place is so much cooler… and so much _bigger_." Tess tries not to sound too awestruck, but it is still a little hard to believe that she woke up yesterday morning in a bunk bed in a wooden cabin, and woke up today in the equivalence of a five-star resort in the middle of the woods.

"You're lost, aren't you?" he asks, and Tess nods. "Follow me. The mess hall's this way." She does as she's told, cursing herself for acting like such a groupie with a crush around him. _She_ was the one with a famous pop star mother, whose every move has been chronicled in tabloids since she was born. He was a nobody – granted, an extremely talented, very handsome nobody, but a nobody nonetheless.

The mess hall is nothing like the one at Camp Rock. Hell, it can barely even be called a "mess hall". It's all silver chrome and plate-glass windows looking over the lake, tables set with white tablecloths and real plates and silverware and glasses, and an honest to God menu, with uniformed staff circulating with trays that hold plates of food. The tables fit four to eight people, and the teenagers gathered in small groups, talking and laughing and gossiping, are all stylishly dressed and made-up for their day, even at eight in the morning. A far cry from Camp Rock, where most people came to breakfast in pajamas or sweats, their hair a mess and with no makeup on. Tess smiles.

If the first impression hadn't been enough, this only confirms it. Camp Star is where she belongs.

Tess makes a move to sit down at an open table, expecting Luke to go sit with his own friends or – hopefully – pull out the chair next to her, but instead he looks at her like she's crazy. "What are you doing?"

"Um… sitting down for breakfast?" She looks to see if there's something wrong with the table, but it looks fine.

"We don't sit down here. Follow me." He weaves through the assortment of tables, occasionally pausing to exchange a few words with a guy or girl sitting at one of the tables. Tess follows cautiously, watching how everyone reacts to him. Obviously, Luke is very well-liked here. She feels everyone's eyes on her, including the few of her former Camp Rock-ers that made the switch last night as well. Whispers of _who is she?_ and _what is she doing here?_ echo through the wide space. Like she's been doing since she was ten, Tess tunes them out, and instead watches Luke cross the length of the room to a place where the silver floor slopes upwards slightly, to reveal a sectioned-off area of the room set up higher than the rest, with a few tables also set for breakfast. A dark-haired girl sits at one of them, which is the one Luke makes his way to.

"Morning, Dana," he says, sliding into the chair next to her easily, like it was a completely normal thing for him to be sitting up here, in a part of the dining area that seems to be special. Knowing Luke, it probably was.

"Good morning," the dark-haired girl says, looking up from the sheet music she had been looking over. "I couldn't sleep much last night, so I worked a little bit on the keyboard harmonies for "Tear it Down" and I think I managed to fix the problem you were talking about on the bridge the other day. See, I think the problem was in the key change. I originally wrote this part in C major, but when you added your little rap bit I changed it to B minor, and it was throwing the whole thing out of balance. So I fiddled with the melody a little bit, and now I think it sounds better. We can try it out this afternoon, if someone else isn't using the amphitheater."

"Damn, D, you should have sleepless nights more often," Luke laughs, and Dana blushes. "Sounds good. We'll definitely check it out today. You know, I was thinking about that song last night too, and I think I–"

Tess clears her throat, shifting her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly, and Dana looks up at her for the first time. "Why hello there," she says. "Luke, I didn't know you brought in a stray." Her peach-glossed Cupid's-bow lips smile in amusement, but her deep brown eyes are kind.

"Dana, this is Tess Tyler. Tess, meet Dana Turner." Luke waves his hand between her and Dana. "Sit down, Tess. It's okay. We don't bite."

"At least _I_ don't bite," Dana corrects him, laughing as she does. She extends a hand for Tess to shake. "Hi. Are you TJ Tyler's daughter?"

"Yeah, that's me," Tess says, sliding into the seat next to Luke and across from Dana, which conveniently places her back to the rest of the camp. "Wait a minute – Turner… like Axel Turner, the guy who owns Star Records?"

"And founder of Camp Star? Yeah, that's my dad," Dana says nonchalantly.

"He's _your_ dad?" Tess gapes at her. Dana seemed so… _normal_. But then again, someone could easily assume the same about her based on her mom.

Dana rolls her eyes. "_Everybody_ says that, and kind of exactly like that." She smiles happily for a second, her eyes closed as if remembering something good, and then snaps out of it. "But he's a really good guy when you get to know him."

"Hey, anybody whose dad has started so many careers in the music business is a friend of mine," Tess says, laughing a little so Dana will know she's joking. Dana smiles, and she breathes a sigh of relief inwardly. Searching for a new topic of conversation, she asks, "So, um, Dana – what's your thing? What are you here for?"

Luke puts a hand on Dana's shoulder. "Dana here is an incredible pianist–"

"_Keyboardist_, please. Pianist makes me sound like some stuffy old guy in a tux sitting at a grand piano playing Beethoven or something." Dana laughs, shrugging Luke's hand off her shoulder as she does. "But yeah, I play the piano and the keyboard – there's really no difference, even though I hate being called a pianist for the aforementioned reason. I also sing, write songs, and compose."

"Dana's such a superstar, I have her work on all my songs," Luke boasts.

"Shut up," she says, whacking him on the shoulder good-naturedly. "You know I only put up with you because my dad thinks you're amazing, for reasons that I still don't understand."

"Hey, at least somebody believes in me," he retorts. "And that _somebody_ just happens to be _Axel Turner_. Plus, you know you love me, D. You'd do this even if your dad wasn't a factor."

"Yeah right." She stands up, shaking out her long dark hair, and pushes in her chair, gathering up her sheet music. "Well, I already ate, so I'm going to go see my dad – he wanted to talk to me about last night. God only knows what his problem is now, but hey, what can I do?" She sighs and shakes her head at them. "Meet you in the amphitheater around eleven?"

"Sounds good. Catch ya later." As Dana walks away, Luke turns his attention back to Tess. "You should come with me today. Watch the master do his work." A cocky smile spreads across his lips, and Tess has to bite her cheek to keep the silly grin off of her own face.

"Sounds great."

* * *

Tess sits near the front of the stage, watching Luke rehearse. Even in the daytime, the Camp Star amphitheater takes her breath away. _This_ is where she should have been spending her summers all these years, not at a place where the biggest competition was held in an auditorium that had been converted from a barn. But she's here now, making up for that lost time, with people who are more like her than any of her so-called friends ever were.

"Hey. I thought I might find you here." Tess looks up to see Dana slide into the seat next to her, a giant composition book in her hand. She hadn't gotten a good look at Axel Turner's daughter at breakfast, but up close, Tess could see that she was really, really pretty, almost like a mini version of Angelina Jolie. "You know, you really should be seeing the rest of the camp, instead of following Luke around like a little puppy dog. Find your own niche, you know?"

The blunt way Dana says this reminds her of Caitlyn, and Tess thinks that she could like this girl, despite the implications of her last statement. She'll need friends here, after all, to replace the ones on the other side of the lake that probably want nothing to do with her now. "What if my niche is here?" she asks, sliding her hand under her hair and flipping it off her neck. It seemed that no matter what side of the lake you were on, the heat was still awful. The thought was almost comforting – at least some things weren't different. "Yours sure seems to be."

"I never pegged you for the backup singer type. And you think I _like_ doing this?" Dana scoffs. "Please. I'm only playing backup for Luke because of my dad. He doesn't even _know_ that I sing besides backup behind a keyboard. If he did, I know it'd be expected that I sign on to Star Records, and start producing cookie-cutter pop star hits, but that's not me. So until I can get a record contract of my own, with a label that will let me do my _own_ kind of music, I'm stuck here, composing for Mr. 'I'm Giving You the Fire'." She does a near-perfect imitation of Luke, and Tess bursts out into laughter. After a beat, Dana joins in.

Luke looks up from the stage to see Tess and Dana in the middle of their giggle fit. "Hey, ladies, what's so funny?"

Tess's eyes widen, not knowing what to say, but Dana manages to compose herself in time to give him an answer. "Just talking about the meaning of life," she says nonchalantly, an edge of sarcasm in her voice.

Luke raises one eyebrow, then cocks his head to the side, as if to say _Sure, I'll play along_. "And what _is_ the meaning of life, D?"

"That you suck."

He puts a hand on his heart and staggers backwards, like she's shot him with her words. "You're a liar. Tess, tell me she's lying."

Tess finally regains the ability to speak. "Dana's lying. You sounded incredible."

He flashes them that cocky smile that gives Tess a fluttering feeling in her stomach. "I know, right?"

"Thanks a lot, Tess," Dana says jokingly, still loud enough for Luke to hear from the stage. "Now his ego's just gonna get even bigger." Under her breath, she adds, "If it were at all possible for it to _be_ any bigger."

"Not possible, D. I'm as humble as they come."

"Yeah right." Dana shuffles some of her sheet music around. "Look, I don't have all day, so why don't you finish rehearsing your other stupid song so we can work on "Tear it Down" already."

"Alright, alright. No need to get so hostile."

As soon as his attention is no longer turned towards the two girls, Dana rolls her eyes. "Good Lord, have you _seen_ the ego on that guy? He must think he's the next Justin Bieber or something, just because my dad likes him. It's ridiculous."

"_I_ think he's talented," Tess says, almost defensively, watching as he starts to sing again.

Dana studies her. "You like him, don't you?"

"Who? Luke? _No_!" Tess sputters.

Dana laughs. "You can keep on saying that until you're blue in the face, but I can see otherwise." Her dark brown eyes meet Tess's blue-gray ones. "Look, I'm not saying no. What I'm _saying_ is be careful. Luke eats girls like you for breakfast."

Tess laughs. "I'm not like other girls."

"Whatever you say…" Dana stands up and starts walking towards the stage, as the rest of the band sets up for a different song. Tess watches her go, re-evaluating the dark-haired girl for her friendship potential. For now, Dana was a maybe – she was cute, talented, funny and sarcastic, but that last little comment, coupled with her need to "warn" Tess about Luke, put her into question.

Inhaling the warm summer air, Tess sighs and sits back into her seat, closing her eyes and soaking up the sun. A schedule of "activities" was lying in her cabin when she came back from breakfast, and there are countless things she could be doing right now – vocal clinics, dance classes, private lessons – but right now, she lacks the energy to do anything but sit here and listen.

A steady hip-hop beat pounds out of the speakers, followed by some clapping and back-up singers laughing and saying "Tear it down!" Then Luke starts singing, in his usual style that's half-singing, half-rapping. There's parts where a female voice cuts in – obviously a back-up singer, since it sounds nothing like Dana. Tess opens her eyes and watches the performance unfolding on the stage in front of her.

The lyrics are easy enough to pick up, and the beat is infectious. Before she knows what's happening, Tess is clapping and humming along, occasionally trying out the female part for herself.

All of a sudden, the music stops short. Tess turns around to see the reason for the abrupt halt – Axel Turner is descending the amphitheater stairs. Without any salutations, he launches straight into a critique of the music.

"Good, good, very good. But there's something that's just the tiniest bit… _off_. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something missing."

"I've been working on this for weeks – Dana's rewritten it about a dozen times," Luke starts, the slightest hint of irritation in his voice.

"Yes, I know, and it's very good. But I know it could be better. You there!" Tess jumps, as Axel points a finger towards her. "Who are you and what are you doing here? This is a closed rehearsal."

"Dad, this is Tess Tyler. She made the switch last night, and she was a little lost this morning, so Luke and I volunteered to show her around a bit. It was her choice to sit in on rehearsals, and neither of us minded having her watch." Tess makes a mental note to thank Dana profusely for saving her ass and buying her time to compose herself before the first time she speaks to Axel Turner.

Axel walks down a few more steps studying her. "Tess Tyler? Any relation to TJ Tyler?"

"She's my mom," Tess says quickly, mentally kicking herself. Of course the first thing she says to Axel Turner would have to be about her mom.

"You don't say," Axel says thoughtfully. "Was that you, singing along? I thought I heard a voice that I didn't recognize."

"Y-y-yes," Tess admits shyly, staring at her lap and playing with her charm bracelet. What was it with the people at Camp Star that turned Tess Tyler, Miss Diva Queen Extraordinaire, into a shy little mouse?

"Get up on the stage. Keisha – Tess here is going to take the female lead." A pretty African-American back-up singer with long dark hair in jeans and a pink tank top nods at Axel, then steps to the back. "We'll try it as it's written for now, but Dana will work with you after lunch to get a better sense of your range. If necessary, adjustments will have to be made."

Tess blinks.

"Did I stutter? Get up on the stage."

She jumps to her feet and bolts down the stairs to the stage. Within seconds she's standing on the giant black stage, the place where last night she'd watched Luke perform and dreamed of performing herself. _What a difference a day makes_, she thinks to herself.

"You sure about this? I mean, we've never heard Tess sing. What if–" Tess's eyes narrow, as Luke catches himself just in time.

"If she's anything like her mother, you've got nothing to worry about, Luke. Now take it again from the top!"

The music starts again, and Tess finds herself sliding easily into the groove of the song. Even when she doesn't know the words, she hums along, adding some of her own harmonies to the already written music, improvising on some of the dance steps the back-up singers behind her are doing. This time, Axel lets them go until the music stops, and when the song ends, Tess finds herself panting for air, but exhilarated, every nerve in her body a live wire.

"Just as I suspected. Tess, I want you working with Dana all this afternoon to transpose the song into a key that works for you. I liked your improvs – don't leave that out. Keisha can teach you the dance steps." Axel lowers his dark sunglasses for a moment. "You two are like music dynamite. I want you working together for the rest of the summer. If you work on this all summer long, by the Spotlight Showcase there will be record companies _fighting_ each other to sign you up." With that, he turns around and starts to leave.

Instantly, Dana leaps out from behind the keyboard and over to Tess. "Okay, you have got a _lot_ of work ahead of you. Knowing my dad, he's going to expect you to be on-the-dot perfect in like, a couple days, so we have to work day and night. I'll get my sheet music from my cabin and some sandwiches from the dining hall and meet you in the piano lab in half an hour." She turns to Luke before she leaves. "And you be ready for when Tess gets caught up – we're going to need lots of rehearsals in the next few days if you guys want to impress my dad, and knowing you two, you do." Already starting to run off, she pauses briefly and says to Tess, "Hey, congratulations. You did what everyone here would give their right arm to do – impress my dad." Then she's off, a blur of dark hair and gray skinny jeans in the distance.

Tess tries to keep her excitement under control, but it's easier said than done. "Isn't this awesome? Axel Turner said he liked me. _Me_ – and not just because I'm TJ Tyler's daughter!"

"Yeah, yeah, great for you, you impressed Axel Turner," Luke says, almost mockingly. "But do you really think your mom had nothing to do with it?"

His words are like a slap in the face, but Tess chooses to ignore them. He's probably just bitter, she tells herself, that she has connections and he doesn't. "So I guess we'll be working together for the rest of the summer," she continues. "Sounds like fun."

He scoffs. "If you really think this is going to be _fun_, you have no idea what you're in for." Brushing by her roughly, he calls over his shoulder, "See you in rehearsals."

Alone on the stage, she watches him leave, wondering what was with the sudden 180. This morning, he'd been all charming and funny, and now he was treating her like a second-class citizen? What was up with that?

Tess sighs. She wasn't _that_ naïve; she knew exactly what would've caused him to change. Her impressing Axel Turner. Sighing again, she adjusts her mental opinion of Luke Williams.

Cute, charming, funny, and talented… but a total jackass.

(Even this revelation still doesn't kill her stupid fan-girl crush on him. It seems like nothing will.)

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Tess and Luke work side by side in rehearsals. Like the professionals they are, they separate their feelings towards each other to create incredible music and impress Axel Turner. Only Dana notices the subtle shift in mood from the first day – Tess is less bubbly and perky, while Luke no longer cracks jokes to make her smile and giggle. Instead, when they're not singing and dancing, they trade veiled insults and barbs that could be classified as banter, but pack a little bit too much poison.

Their performance never falters one bit for it. Onstage, they are flawless – like a well-oiled, totally in-sync machine.

But offstage… well, that's a different story.

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**Author's Note: So okay, for those of you who looked at the "Main Characters" thingie on the top of the screen, this wasn't much of a surprise. Yes, I decided to explore the possibilities of a Tess/Luke pairing. I think Mdot is an incredible singer and dancer, and I'm sad that his character wasn't given too much characterization. But I'm saving most of the deep stuff for my other fic in the work (also a Luke/Tess pairing), so this one's really only scratching the surface of my interpretation of Luke. (I see him as kind of the Alex Karev type - acts like an ass on the outside, but is a sweetheart underneath the mask. Of course, maybe I've just been watching too much Grey's Anatomy. But anyway, I'll get to that later.)**

**Also - why the hell is it that I'm the first person to write a story about Luke? Come on - I know he wasn't really given too much to do besides sing and gloat, but this is fanfiction. That's basically what we _do_ - invent characterization (or different characterization) for pre-existing characters.**

**(Okay, I'm done with my rant now.)**

**Next chapter should be up soon - I'm almost done. In the meantime - reviews, lifeblood, do I really have to go over this again? Especially for this story - I need feedback on how you guys think I got Tess and Luke in-character or not.**

**Siagnora!**

**- Authoress**


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'm so happy that you all liked my story so much! I've been writing like crazy - very unusual for me - so expect updates to come quickly and the story to be finished sometime in the near future. :)**

**Also, something I forgot to mention last time – did my explanation for why we never hear Dana sing fit with her character? That was something I wasn't sure about. I thought it was kind of odd that we never heard Chloe Bridges sing at all, not even a line or two in a group song, especially considering her character is like a music legacy. So the whole Axel-doesn't-know-she-sings thing kind of appeared in my head as a way to explain that.**

**More later. Enjoy!**

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Chapter Two

It feels weird being back at Camp Rock, on the other side of the lake, Tess thinks. Like she's on the outside looking in – looking at what she gave up. _You're at the better place for you_, she tells herself again and again. _No one else here has the talent and the drive that you do. You're not missing out on anything._

But then she looks at the campfire, at the little kids chasing fireflies around, and her heart physically aches for what she'd thought she would never miss.

Axel has binoculars, and he watches the firefly catching with barely-concealed disgust. "Looks like they're loaded with _flies_ over there. There's no way they're gonna make it through the summer." He smirks, then turns around and heads back towards the boats, handing the binoculars to Luke, who happily takes a look and laughs to himself.

Tess, meanwhile, is still lost in nostalgia. "I remember doing that," she says wistfully, momentarily forgetting who she's with. "It was fun."

Luke puts down the binoculars and stares at her. "Don't even think about it," he says harshly, sounding more like an order. Then he too turns around, back towards the boats.

Tess stays, though, watching the campfire for a little while longer. Sitting on the steps of the nearest cabin are a handful of teenagers, and when she squints she can make out Mitchie's dark waves, Caitlyn's golden locks, and Shane's pretty-boy curls. Her heart leaps at the sight of her friends; what she wouldn't give to be sitting there next to them.

But they're not her friends anymore, she remembers, like a punch to the stomach. And anyway, why would she want to go backwards? At Camp Star, she's impressing _Axel Turner_. That's worth anything, isn't it?

Isn't it?

(When you have to remind yourself this much that you've made the right choice, maybe you haven't.)

Her insides feeling more knotted than a pretzel, Tess slowly walks away from the campfire – away from the life she left behind – before she can change her mind.

* * *

The next morning, Tess sleeps in late, having spent half the night restlessly replaying the scene from the campfire over and over again until she finally passed out around 4 a.m. from pure exhaustion. When she wakes up, the clock reads 9:30 – _way_ later than usual. Next to it sits a note scribbled in Dana's now-familiar loopy cursive script, accompanied by a blueberry muffin, a banana, and a glass of orange juice sitting on a napkin. _Saw you passed out cold and didn't want to wake you. Rehearsal's in the amphitheater at ten this morning. See you there. –– Dana_

Tess smiles; this was something that Mitchie or Caitlyn would do. Munching on a piece of the muffin, she checks the time again, then decides to take her time getting ready. She can feel it in her bones – today is going to be big.

And if it means that Luke has to stand around waiting for her to show up? All the better.

After a long, hot, luxurious shower in the glass-walled marble shower stall – each cabin had it's own big private bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi tub – she dries and flat-irons her long blond hair, taking special care to get each and every strand pin-straight. Devouring the food Dana left her as she does, she picks out an outfit and applies subtle but flattering makeup. It was nice having the entire place to herself for once, she thought, drawing a thin line of eyeliner on her lash-line. Not that her cabin-mates were annoying, but being alone made the whole place seem even more like a hotel room than a camp cabin.

Finally, she spritzs some perfume and swallows the last of the juice. Dumping her trash in the trash can underneath the bathroom sink, she checks the time. 10:07 – perfect. By the time she gets to the amphitheater, it'll be just late enough to tick Luke off, but not nearly enough to be anything serious.

Just as she'd predicted, Luke is pissed when she finally shows up. "It's about time! My private vocal lessons started ten minutes ago," he complains.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says, trying not to laugh at his latest ensemble – it looked like he was about to go golfing with his grandfather. Seriously – baggy plaid pants, with a sweater vest? "I forgot that Axel thinks you need the extra… rehearsal." She smiles sweetly, knowing this will make him even more mad.

But before he can answer back with a barb of his own, their attention is distracted by a loud noise coming closer and closer to them – clapping hands, stomping feet, and every seven seconds or so, people yell "Camp Rock!"

The noise gets louder, and a large group of people come into view, marching up the path that leads to the amphitheater stage. As they get closer, Tess realizes they're people she knows – Mitchie, Caitlyn, Ella, and Peggy lead the way, while Shane, Nate, and Jason are bringing up the rear. The rest are people who all look vaguely familiar – obviously other Camp Rockers.

So what are they doing here?

She's not the only person wondering this; a small crowd is growing around the amphitheater, people watching as the dancing, clapping, chanting group gets closer. As they get closer to the stage, Tess thinks that she should be down there, and starts down towards the stage from the overlooking path. Evidently, Luke had the same idea; he's already halfway down there. She starts jogging to keep up – the last thing she wants is to look like she's just any other camper. Mitchie and the others should know that she's thriving here – that leaving Camp Rock was the best thing that ever happened to her.

(Even though she's doubting the truth of that last statement, Tess is nothing if not a flawless actress.)

The group from Camp Rock halts on-stage. Mitchie takes point, the leader as always. "Yeah that's right. We're here on _your_ stage." Tess pushes her way to the front, along with Luke. "See, you guys didn't really give us the chance to answer back the other night. But guess what? That's gonna change." Mitchie steps backwards a little, widening the gap between the two camps. "Camp Rock versus Camp Star – The Final Jam. What do you guys think about that?" Murmurs from both sides fill the air.

Barron (or Sander – Tess never cared enough to keep track who was who, because as far as she was concerned they were utterly interchangeable) motions to Nate, who's somehow set himself up at the drum set. "Drums!"

The other boy of the duo of Barron-and-Sander says, "A little guitar please!" Music is playing, and it's clear to everyone on the stage that _something_ is about to happen.

Then Mitchie's voice rings out in the amphitheater. "I hope you're ready for the time of your life…"

* * *

"_Show me, show me, show me, show me, show what you got._

_Come on, come on, come on, come on, ready or not._

_La-la-la-la-la-la let me see how you rock._

_It's on, it's on, it's on._

_Get crazy crazy crazy take it over the top_

_Because because because, when we rock we let it rock._

_Rock it rock it rock it rock it dance till you drop._

_It's on, it's on, it's on."_

This is insane.

What started as a random disturbance in an otherwise normal day of rehearsals has escalated into a full-fledged dance _battle_, like something out of West Side Story. Except it's not Jets vs. Sharks, it's Camp Star vs. Camp Rock.

Tess's voice is starting to hurt, and her legs are cramping from all the dancing; her makeup is smudged and her hair is sticking to the back of her neck with sweat. But she's never felt more exhilarated before. _This _is what music summer camp is supposed to be about – singing and dancing until your throat is raw and your body aches, but having the time of your life and getting the most wonderful all-natural high at the end.

(So far, she's experienced only the former at Camp Star.)

"One, two – one two three four – it's on!"

Everyone ends up totally in each other's faces, as if prepared for battle. Tess feels a slight pang of something when she sees Mitchie head to head with Luke, who she seems to have singled out as the "leader" or something, but brushes it off quickly.

For a moment, the amphitheater is totally silent, as everyone catches their breath. Then, unexpectedly, the sound of clapping fills the silence.

Tess looks up to see Axel, wearing all black, with his trademark dark shades, walking down the steps towards the stage, clapping. "That is a _fantastic_ idea," he says. "Truly, I'm impressed. A little healthy competition is _exactly_ what we need. A champion _always_ needs a good sparring partner."

"We do?" Luke looks bewildered, and Tess bites her lip to keep from laughing.

Ignoring Luke, Axel continues, directing his attention to Mitchie. "But you really think you can, uh, take my guys on head to head?"

"Any time, any place," Peggy declares confidently. There are sounds of agreement from the other Camp Rockers.

"Maybe use our amphitheater," Axel adds, so nonchalantly Tess knows he's up to something.

"Doesn't matter where. We just know that Camp Rock is gonna blow you guys away," Mitchie states.

"I'm sure an audience would be a better judge of that."

Caitlyn laughs. "Bring it on! You can pack it with anybody you want."

Now it's Axel's turn to laugh. He takes off his sunglasses, fingering them absentmindedly. "Well, how about a worldwide audience? What if we put this little competition on TV? Have the public decide who's really the best?"

Tess's eyes widen and she inhales a sharp breath of air. _Some trump card, Axel_, she thinks. _Wow, when he does something he _really_ doesn't do it halfway._

Predictably, bubbly Ella is the first to say something. "TV? We'd really get to be on TV?"

For the first time since stepping onto the Camp Star amphitheater stage, Mitchie is starting to look less than confident. "Uh… I don't really know about this…"

Luke scoffs, seeing an opening. "Not such a big talker now, are you?"

Peggy, Caitlyn, and the boys badger her, trying to persuade her to take the deal. Tess can see that Mitchie looks overwhelmed, like she doesn't know what she's gotten herself into.

Finally, they wear her down. "You're on."

Loud clapping and cheering from both parties. Axel smirks and walks off.

"Good luck," Luke says to the departing group from Camp Rock. As if his sarcastic tone wasn't enough, he adds, "You're going to need it."

"Well we'll see about that, now won't we?" Her confidence is visibly rattled, but Mitchie still manages to fire off another barb before they disappear.

Once they're gone, the stage starts to clear out pretty quickly, as people run off to tell their friends about the impending TV showdown. "Meet me back here in an hour," Luke says, turning to her without saying anything else as a prelude. "We have some serious work to do if we're going to win this thing. And we _are_ going to win this thing." He starts walking towards the cabins. "Oh, and find Dana for me, will you?" he calls over his shoulder.

Like magic or something, Dana materializes from the other side of camp, the direction that leads to the piano overlooking the lake where she likes to spend her free time. "Hey," she says, her cheeks pink and her hair windblown, like she ran all the way from the piano by the lake. "I heard music, and voices that didn't sound like yours and Luke's. What happened? Some kind of showdown?"

Tess closes her eyes and inhales, willing all of this information to make sense in her brain. "Yeah," she says finally. "You could say that, alright."

* * *

**Author's Note: So how was this installment? Feedback, please!**

**I did my best with the time frame, taking a lot of things from the movie into consideration. It (the movie) seemed way too short to span an entire summer in my opinion, but I guess, like in most media of any kind, we don't see or hear or watch every single thing that happens every single day - it'd be too long and boring. That said, since I'm adding a lot of things that were never in the movie, the timeline got a little confusing.**

**One more little note: Mdot had the coolest clothes in the movie – _except _for the "It's On" scene. (I agree with Tess on that one – he looked like he was going to go golfing with his grandfather. Lol.) Did anyone else agree?**

**Next chapter: some Tess/Dana friendship stuff (I am so pissed that we never even see them talking a little bit in the movie - that was just one of a long list of things with an awesomeness potential off the charts that Camp Rock 2 never exploited), the infamous night rehearsal that Jason and the Junior Rockers bust in on, and then... well, if I told you what happened next, that would ruin it, now wouldn't it? You'll just have to wait for me to update to find out!**

**Yes, I know, I'm mean. Deal with it. Or better yet, review, and I'll be more persuaded to post the next chapter sooner.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I know, I know, I took too long to get this one up. I'm sorry. (Although really, this is nothing compared to the wait for an update on most of my stories. You all have it insanely good.) I'm sure a few of you want to kill me right now, but I'm almost positive that once you read this latest installment, you'll change your minds. So how about I get off the screen already and let you read it? Yeah, that sounds good.**

* * *

Chapter Three

Tess was lying on her back on her bed, enjoying some rare free time. The past couple of days had been a whirlwind of rehearsals, but Luke had twisted his ankle the night before and was on strict orders from the camp doctor to rest it today. Her other cabin mates were all off in clinics or classes, so she was all alone.

She yawns, and stares at the clock – a little after one o'clock. Because of Luke's ankle, Axel had canceled rehearsals for the day, but they were supposed to meet him after dinner to discuss costumes and set design, or something like that. That left about four or five hours for Tess to do whatever she wanted to do. Plenty of time to squeeze in a nap.

_You really should be working on the music with Dana_, a voice in her head says. _Just because there's no official rehearsals today doesn't mean you get to slack off, if you want to win._

Tess knows the voice is right, but as she yawns again, she decides to ignore it. The late-night rehearsals on top of a full day of work are starting to take their toll on her. Four or five extra hours would be very much appreciated right now.

Just as she closes her eyes, the door to her cabin bangs open. Tess groans and rolls over onto her side, preparing for what she assumes will be a confrontation with Luke about why she's taking a nap in the middle of the day when she should be rehearsing.

Instead, soft footsteps make their way to her bed, and then the end sinks slightly under the weight of something. The crisp, clean scent of green apple and cucumber fills her nostrils – DKNY Be Delicious.

Dana's perfume.

Tess opens her eyes and sits up straight. Sure enough, there's Dana sitting at the foot of her bed, looking uncharacteristically casual in a pair of black yoga pants and a faded gray T-shirt under a maroon hoodie. The expression on her face is so miserable that Tess forgets all about her nap. "Oh sweetie, what's wrong?"

The words all come out in a big rush. "I know this is wrong and I shouldn't be telling you this because you'll probably just go tell my dad and get me in trouble but you're the closest thing I have to a friend here and I think I just had a fight with the boy I really like and screwed things up forever between us which would be pretty hard to do considering the circumstances so that means I'm really screwed and I just need someone to talk to!" A tear trickles down the side of her face.

"Okay, Dana, _breathe_." Dana takes a few deep breaths, until she seems to have composed herself a little better. "Now tell me again what happened. And don't worry – I'm not going to tell your dad anything."

She takes another deep breath. "Okay. So, um, you know Nate Gray from Connect 3?"

"How could I _not_?" She has a sinking suspicion where this is going, but doesn't say anything. "Anyway, go on."

"Well, the night of the bonfire, I kind of hit him in the eye with my bracelet, and we started flirting when he returned it to me. And then he snuck over to visit me a couple times, so I today I went to see him, but then he was all close-lipped and I realized, like, how much do I really know about this guy? So I kind of said that, and he got all defensive, and then I think we had a fight, because I kind of left all upset. Except now I really regret it and want to take it back, but at the same time I don't, you know? Because, like, I should know things about him if we're going to have a relationship, right?"

"Okay, I'm not going to lie, I only caught about half of that, but I think I get the gist. You and Nate had a fight." Dana nods, and Tess slides off her bed and opens the bottom drawer of the night table by her bed.

"What are you doing?" Dana asks, watching Tess rummage through a pile of old notebooks and assorted tubes of makeup.

"Looking for something… aha! Found it." She brandishes two long yellow boxes in the shape of a pyramid, with red letters spelling out TOBLERONE on the sides. "My secret stash. Mom goes crazy if I eat these at home, so I hide them all over the house in places she'll never look, for those moments when a girl just really needs her chocolate, not some fake carob health bar substitute crap that tastes nothing like chocolate. I bring a few with me every year to camp, just in case one of those moments happens while I'm here. And _this_ is definitely one of those moments." She hands one box to Dana, then opens the other one and breaks off a piece.

Dana stares down at the chocolate for a minute, before doing the same. After each girl has eaten a few pieces and they're in a considerably better mood, Tess offers some advice. "I'm probably one of the worst people to come to for romantic advice, but I do know Nate Gray, and if you two are defying your family to see each other, he probably really likes you too. He just gets shy and nervous sometimes, and says awkward things. He's the 'shy, sensitive one' – and yes, I know that's his market in all those stupid teen magazines, but it's really true. I'd say wait a day or two and see if he comes back – he should make the first move after all, being the guy – but if he doesn't and you still really miss him, then take the initiative, go over there, and talk to him yourself." She laughs. "And if that doesn't work, I'll go over there and beat the crap out of him."

Dana laughs too, a smile lighting up her pretty face for the first time that afternoon, and Tess smiles. "I hope that won't be necessary," she says, popping another piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Okay. Thanks so much, Tess." She leans over and gives Tess a quick hug.

A warm, gooey feeling spreads through Tess's entire body. "You're welcome," she says.

"I've gotta go now – my dad wants to see me." Dana stands up and adjusts her clothes, taking the remains of her chocolate bar with her. "But, um, I'll see you later, I guess."

"Totally."

"And Tess?" Dana turns around as she's halfway to the door. "Thank you. I mean it. For everything."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

Dana smiles, then walks out the door.

Tess lays back down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about what just happened. That kind of feeling – girl talk with a good friend, discussing boys, eating chocolate – that was something she hadn't experienced in a long time.

(And it didn't take a genius to figure out why.)

She pushes that thought out of her mind and tries to focus on other things. Like the new discovery of Dana and Nate. Who'd have thought the Connect 3 drummer and Axel Turner's daughter would be Camp Wars' own Romeo and Juliet? She wonders who else at Camp Rock knows – Nate didn't seem like the type to gush about his girlfriend, but then again, as long as Tess had known him, she'd never known him to _have_ a girlfriend.

Eventually, her brain still processing the Dana and Nate love story, Tess drifts off to sleep.

* * *

_Dear God, please, just kill me now and put me out of my misery._

A day of having to sit out and do nothing has made Luke even more irritable than usual, and he's picking fights about _everything_ – her harmonies, her dancing, her clothing choices. She's hogging the spotlight. She's flat on that chord. She turned right instead of left in this dance move. Her bracelets jingling distract from the music. It's like she can't do anything right. And Axel just sits there and doesn't say a word.

"I'm just trying to stay on the right pitch," Tess argues. "You're screwing things up in the second verse–"

"Every single time I'm trying to sing my high note, I keep getting lost behind her big head!" Luke exclaims.

"Oh no, you didn't! But now that you mention it, I–"

"You couldn't stand in the spotlight for _two seconds_, so you–"

"Oh my gosh, I was just trying to–"

"Enough!" Axel intervenes. "We'll run it again in three minutes. And this time, remember – it's not amateur hour!"

Tess turns around and gives Luke a withering look. "He means _you_." Then she stalks off.

She's fully aware of how snotty she sounds, but right now she honestly couldn't care less. Luke has been driving her absolutely crazy all day. It seems to be getting worse the closer they get to Camp Wars.

The rest of the musicians and back-up dancers involved in their Camp Wars piece are already heading down to the amphitheater, but out of the corner of her eye she sees Dana – who's looking much prettier and happier today, in a gray jacket over a black camisole, a black and purple print skirt, and black gladiator sandals – talking to a curly-haired boy in a plaid button-down shirt holding a guitar. Tess squints, trying to figure out who he is; he doesn't look like any of the people working on their number.

Then it hits her, and she feels like an idiot for not figuring it out sooner.

_Nate_.

Tess's heart melts; by the looks of things, he wrote a song for Dana. She bites her cheek to keep from squealing, making a mental note to grill Dana later.

"What's _wrong_ with you today?" She's still caught up in the epic adorable-ness that is Nate and Dana that it takes her a moment longer than usual to process Luke's words. When she realizes he's talking to her, she jumps and whirls around to face him.

"Nothing's wrong with _me_. What's wrong with _you_?" she snips back. It almost scares her, how easily she falls back into her old ways when she's talking to him.

He scoffs. "Maybe this kind of substandard performance was alright back at Camp _Loser_, but _here_, we play to _win_."

"That's exactly what I'm doing. Why don't _you_ try it sometime?" She can almost _see _his blood boiling. But as he opens his mouth to shoot back another retort, the guy with the megaphone – whose only job seems to be to bark commands through the megaphone so Axel doesn't have to – says, "Come on, get a move on! We don't have all day!"

Luke turns to her and says, "Try not to suck this time, okay?"

"It's not _me_ you should be worried about," she replies. His response is just to roll his eyes, like she's a silly little kid compared to him.

"What's taking Dana so long?" he asks impatiently after a minute, and Tess's breath catches in her throat. Dana's probably still with Nate, but under no circumstances can Luke find out about the two of them.

"I don't know. Why don't I go find her?" She's gone before Luke can say anything in response, hurrying back to the benches where they left Dana earlier. With every step, she prays that Nate's already on his way back to Camp Rock. Seeing him again would be incredibly awkward.

…But not as awkward as _that_.

Tess skids to a stop, watching the scene unfolding before her in abject horror. Standing only a few yards away from her are Dana and Nate, along with a third party – Axel Turner.

And judging by his expression, he's _not_ happy.

"Why don't you save the theatrics for the competition?" Even with his dark sunglasses, Axel looks just about ready to spit fire.

"It's okay," Dana says, turning back to Nate. She plucks something out of his shirt pocket, smiles, and says, "Thank you," in a voice so soft Tess can barely hear it.

"We'll talk about this later," Axel says, as they start walking away. He turns around to give Nate one last icy look before they leave.

Tess turns around and starts running back to the amphitheater, but she's not quick enough. "Miss Tyler? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others, _rehearsing_?"

She freezes, then turns around to face him. "I… was just going to look for Dana. We can't rehearse without her, you know." It's a weak story – even though it's true – but she's betting on the fact that he's too pissed about finding Nate with Dana right now to really care why she's not where she's supposed to be.

Fortunately, he seems to buy it. "Well, alright then. You girls go back to rehearsal. Dana, I want to see you in my office before dinner."

"Okay, Dad." Dana practically sprints down the pathway to Tess, where they start walking back to the amphitheater at a slightly faster pace than usual.

"How much of that did you see?" Dana asks, once they're a considerable distance away and Axel is safely out of earshot.

"Enough to know that you owe me some serious girl talk," Tess replies. "I want all the juicy details, so spill. Oh – and you're welcome; I totally saved your Nate-Gray-loving butt from Luke earlier."

Dana sighs. "Thanks for that, then. And I'm sorry in advance – my dad's probably going to be even tougher than usual on you guys tonight because of what just happened."

Now it's Tess's turn to sigh. "Whatever," she says after a moment. "It's worth it, to see you smiling again. So I take it you and Nate made up?"

"Better than that." Dana's expression is practically blissful as she gushes about how Nate wrote her a song, all about little things nobody else knows about him. Tess is practically green-eyed with envy by the time they reach the amphitheater; no one's ever cared about _her_ enough to do something like that before.

"Took you two long enough," Luke snaps as they approach the stage. "Would you mind saving your _girl talk_ for _after_ rehearsals?"

"Oh, shut up, Luke," Dana bites back bitterly, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she walks across the stage to her keyboard. "Let's just get going already." Tess bites her lip to keep from smiling. Dana's the only one who can put Luke in his place, being Axel's daughter and all, and it's times like this when she really appreciates having the brunette on her side.

The music starts again, and Tess slips back into rehearsal mode.

* * *

"_Give me the green light_

_I'm ready to go_

_Hit up the start line_

_I'm breakin' the roll_

_I'm gonna take you_

_(I'm gonna shake you)_

_No one's gonna lose_

_(Walkin' in my shoes)_

_I'm stopped at a red light_

_I'm on a roll_

_Turn up the music_

_I'm out of control_

_I'm gonna take you_

_(I'm gonna shake you)_

_No one's gonna lose_

_(Walkin' in my shoes)_

Walkin' in my shoes."

This song wouldn't be her first choice by any means – "Tear it Down" is much better – but after doing it countless times in rehearsals, it's starting to grow on her. (At least in this one, she gets a real _part_ – in "Tear it Down" she's essentially a glorified back-up singer.) As always in rehearsals, she and Luke sing and dance side by side, like they don't hate each other when the music stops playing. The back-up singers dance behind them, and the fireworks graphics pop on the background screen, as the pulsing lights flash colors onto the stage. It's pretty spectacular, if she does say so herself.

Yet when the music stops, and they hit their final pose in the center of the stage, Tess finds herself dreading Axel's verdict. "Well?" she asks, dropping her arm.

Still in his signature black sunglasses, despite the fact that it's almost nine o'clock and pitch black, Axel is as intimidating as ever. "Good. Maybe great. But this competition isn't about _maybe_."

"Okay, fine, but can you tell her to stay out of my light?"

"Well _maybe_ if you would stay out of my _way_, it wouldn't be a problem." Tess never understood why Axel insisted on having these late-night rehearsals – they were never as productive as the ones that took place during daylight hours, since everyone was always so tired from their full day of work. Plus, it was freezing – so cold she could literally see her breath in small clouds in front of her face. (Or maybe that was just the smoke machine? Either way, it's unnerving.)

"Let me see "Tear it Down" instead." Everyone groans, including Tess. As much as she likes that song better, all she wants to do now is curl up in her bed and go to sleep. "Let's reset, people! Come on – move! This has to be _perfect_!" A few people throw up their hands in complaint, but eventually they all turn around and start heading backstage, Tess and Luke included.

Then she hears Axel say something that makes her stop: "Camp Rock isn't gonna know what hit 'em."

Tess isn't sure which is more unsettling: Axel's insane determination to beat Camp Rock, or the fact that she finds the first thing unsettling.

* * *

"Alright, everyone, you're free to leave. Go, get some sleep. I'll see you all again tomorrow morning at ten-thirty." Tess breathes a sigh of relief; it's eleven o'clock at night, and they've been working on "Tear it Down" for two hours. She curses Dana for getting a free pass from her dad to skip tonight's rehearsal, leaving her to walk back to the cabins alone. (Of course, he's probably still mad about the whole Nate thing, but still. Totally unfair.)

Since she hadn't been expecting rehearsals to take _this_ long, Tess forgot to bring a flashlight with her, so she finds herself blindly wandering around in the dark, trying to find her way back to the path that leads to the rest of camp. A flash of silver catches her eye, and she follows it into the darkness, eventually running to catch it before it disappeared.

"Ow!" Tess collides with another person and goes sprawling onto the dirt. Immediately, she leaps up and brushes off her outfit, praying there aren't any stains. "Watch where you're going!" She looks down to see who she's bumped into, then sighs.

_Luke_.

"Are you _trying_ to put me out of commission again, Tess?" he snaps angrily, picking himself up and dusting off his silver suit. (That would explain the flashes of silver…)

"It's not _my_ fault it's so dark I can't see one foot in front of my face. Blame Axel for making us rehearse so late."

He rolls his eyes. "Here – we can share my flashlight." He picks up something shiny and red off the ground and hits a switch, instantly illuminating the path in front of them.

Tess is stunned, although she doesn't show it. "Thanks," she mumbles under her breath, so quietly she's not sure he can even hear it. Luke gives no sign of having heard her, and just keeps on walking.

They walk in silence for a moment, until Tess shivers. "You cold?" he asks, turning to her.

"A little, but I'm fine," she says automatically, wondering why he's even trying to make small talk.

But he's already shrugging off his suit jacket and handing it to her. "Here. Can't you have getting sick on us, now can we?" he offers by way of explanation.

She takes it slowly, still wondering why he's being so… _nice_ to her. This is the first time they've talked all summer – since the first morning they met – where neither of them has spat barbs about the other's lack of talent.

They walk in silence for a little while longer, until they start to approach the rest of the camp. Tess can see a few lights on in the cabins (although who would still be up this late is a mystery), along with the outline of the mess hall and a few of the music buildings in the distance.

"You gonna be okay to make it back to your cabin by yourself?" Luke asks, as they stop at the central courtyard that connects all the buildings.

"I'm _fine_," she insists. "And here – take your jacket back."

"Keep it. It looks good on you."

Tess couldn't have been more shocked if pink flamingos had fallen out of the sky and started tap-dancing with polka-dotted umbrellas right there in the courtyard. Luke gave her a _compliment_?

"Um… thanks?" She starts to leave, but then stops and turns around to face him again. The words slip out before she can censor herself. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

After a moment, when he doesn't respond, Tess sighs and turns around again, intending to go back to her cabin. She only makes it a few steps, though, before Luke grabs her arm and pulls her back towards him.

He's switched off the flashlight, so the only light left comes from the moon and the few surrounding cabins with their lights still on. Everything looks all shadowy and mysterious, and she can barely see him in front of her anymore. She tries to move, but he has her wrist in an iron grip.

And then he cups her face in his hands, bringing his lips down to hers, and her head spins.

Oh. My. God.

Tess's eyes slide closed, as her arms wrap themselves around his neck seemingly of their own accord, pulling him down closer to her. He nibbles on her bottom lip, asking permission to enter her mouth, and she lets out a soft moan as his tongue touches hers. His lips are warm and so soft. She feels like she's melting into this kiss – this amazing, wonderful, perfect kiss…

Tess is so dazed that it takes her a moment to realize Luke's pulled away. She opens her eyes to see that he's turned the flashlight back on and is already walking off, his silhouette faintly visible against the darkness from the light of the flashlight. A moment later, he's completely disappeared from her sight.

She brings two fingers up to her lips – which are slightly swollen; proof that she didn't just imagine their kiss – and inhales deeply, letting the cold night air fill her lungs and bring her back down to Earth. She can almost still feel his lips against hers.

Despite the time and the cold, Tess stays put in the courtyard, until her heartbeat slows down to a more normal rate. One thought stands out in her mind:

_What the hell just happened?_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: Okay, show of hands - how many of you want to kill me for making you wait this long for an update _now_?**

**I went back and watched the bits of the movie that coincide with this chapter like a zillion times, just to get everything right. (Side note: I absolutely _love_ "Walkin' In My Shoes" - so pissed it didn't make it into the movie!) I know it really doesn't matter, but I'm a perfectionist like that. So please tell me if all my hard work paid off.**

**I'm also curious if that Tess/Luke kiss at the end seemed to come from nowhere. (If it did - I'm sorry, but it was sort of supposed to be like that.) We'll see the after-effects of that in the next chapter (which is very short, and all original material - nothing from the movie at all). There _is_ a reason I threw that in there (and not just because this fandom desperately needs some Tess/Luke action already, lol), which will become more clear later on. (Let's just say that without this, a big twist I'm throwing in towards the end would be _really_ out of left field.)**

**Like I said: next chapter = short, and all original. Then the chapter after that is Camp Wars, yay! I have this story all planned out, and I'm sad to say, the end is most definitely in sight. Just a few more chapters. But you'd better believe they're going to be nice and long and meaty. The end is the best part, after all. :) Not to mention my surprise pertaining to the reason I threw in their kiss. Ha ha, I'm evil, I know.**

**Reviews = lifeblood... do I really have to go over this _ah-gain_? (Lol)**

**Catch you on the flip side,**

**- Authoress**


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: This short of a wait for an update on one of my stories was virtually unheard of before "Camp Rock Girl" came along, so you all can consider yourselves extremely lucky that I've attached myself to this project right now. FYI, since the next chapter is _waaaay_ longer, don't expect such a quick update again.**

**This chapter is probably not my best work, I'll admit straight up, but it's not bad. I did the best I could considering the situation, let's put it that way. Hope you like it.**

**More to say, but I'll say it at the end. For now, enjoy!**

**(Side note: As of the last chapter, this story has hit the 10,000-word mark. Woo-hoo!)**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Four

"Tess? Tess, wake up!"

Tess's eyes fly open to see Dana kneeling in front of her bed. "Ah!" she screams, more than a little startled. "Dana, what are you doing here?"

"Waking you up," she says. "You're late for rehearsals. Well, you will be, if you don't get up right this minute and start getting ready." She stands up, then looks down at Tess and adds, "Good Lord, what happened to you?"

Tess looks down at herself and sees the cause of Dana's distress. By the time she made it back to her cabin last night, it was so late that she'd forsaken all nighttime before-bed rituals and simply fallen asleep with her clothes still on, along with her makeup (which was now smeared quite unattractively across her face and pillow). She was also still wearing Luke's jacket.

Thinking about him sends her mind back to last night, and their Earth-shatteringly amazing kiss. She feels almost light-headed just thinking about it. Suddenly, she's very motivated to get up and go to rehearsal.

"Your dad kept us up until like eleven last night. When I got back here, I was so tired I just collapsed. You think I have time for a shower?"

"Probably not," Dana says, holding out something wrapped in a napkin. "Here, I brought you some breakfast. It's fat-free cream cheese, so don't freak out."

"Thank you." Tess bites into the cinnamon raisin bagel, wondering how Dana knew they're her favorite. (Of course, living with TJ Tyler meant that bagels were a rare treat, along with pretty much everything else that has carbs.) "Can you pick me out something to wear?"

"Already on it," Dana says, digging through her dresser drawers. "This is crazy, you know – my dad making you guys work until eleven. You really should say something to him about it. He can't keep you burning the candle at both ends; eventually, it's going to start to take its toll on your ability to perform."

"_You_ say something to him," Tess counters, rubbing off the rest of her old smeared makeup with a pore-cleansing face wipe. "There's no way he'd listen to anything _I_ have to say, but maybe he'll listen to you."

"No can do. I'm still in the doghouse after what happened with Nate, remember?" Dana tosses a pair of skinny jeans onto her bed, which is still an unmade mess.

"Oh yeah." Tess moves on to concealer – after the night she had, God only knows she needs it today. "But it was worth it, right?"

"_So_ worth it," Dana agrees, smiling that blissful, happy-in-love smile Tess had seen a million times before but never experienced firsthand. Then, unexpectedly, she changes the subject. "Hey, what's with that jacket you're wearing? It doesn't look like something you would own."

"Oh… um, Luke gave it to me."

Dana's eyebrows shoot up so high on her forehead they practically disappear into her hairline. "Luke? Luke Williams?"

"Is there another Luke at this camp? Actually, there probably is – this place is so big," Tess babbles on, lining her eyes with a black eye pencil. She's fully aware that she's stalling, but prays that Dana won't push it any further.

Her prayers go unanswered. "That doesn't sound like the Luke Williams I know. I thought you two hated each other."

"I don't know – it was cold last night, so he gave me his jacket so that I wouldn't freeze. I'm sure it doesn't mean anything."

"You're probably right," Dana admits, "but still, that's a little odd. Wait – do you still like him?"

"Who, Luke?" Tess applies a coat of mascara, then another one, desperately trying to avoid the question.

Dana laughs. "Who else did you think I meant? Yes, Luke. _Please_ tell me you don't still like him."

"Of course not," she lies smoothly, slicking on some lip gloss. "He's a jerk. You were right about him all along."

Tess doesn't know why she doesn't tell Dana about the kiss. Maybe it's because she knows how much Dana dislikes Luke. Maybe it's because she doesn't feel comfortable sharing, despite the fact that Dana's told her everything about Nate. Or maybe it's because she's still not sure what will happen between them now, and doesn't want to jinx anything.

Regardless of the why, for now, the kiss is a secret Tess is keeping all to herself.

"Aren't I always?" Dana laughs, preening a bit. "But seriously, that's good. You're not missing out on anything, I promise. Anyway, you said it yourself – he's a jerk. Now come on. We need to get going."

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Working quickly, she strips off her old clothes and tosses them in a pile by her bed, draping Luke's jacket over the back of her headboard. Then she pulls on the jeans and sky blue T-shirt Dana picked out for her, zipping her feet into a pair of black suede high-heeled boots. While Dana makes her bed, Tess runs back to the bathroom, and brushes her hair, slips in some earrings, and spritzes her perfume. The last thing she grabs is a short black vest with oversized buttons, which she leaves un-buttoned over the shirt.

"You good? Then let's go." Dana's already starting down the path that leads to the amphitheater.

Feeling like a little kid sneaking candy behind her parents' backs, Tess makes sure Dana is out of sight, then brings Luke's jacket up to her nose and inhales. Amazingly, it still smells like his cologne, spicy and woodsy, and for a moment her mind is somewhere else entirely – last night, in the central courtyard, with his arms around her body and his mouth devouring hers…

"Tess! Come on, we have to go!" Dana's voice breaks her out of her trance, and she drops the jacket back onto her bed like a hot potato.

"Coming!" she yells, and races out of the cabin, down the path to her friend.

* * *

Miraculously, they make it to the amphitheater only a few minutes behind schedule. "How nice of you two ladies to show up," Axel sneers. "You do realize we have less than a week to Camp Wars? Every _second_ of rehearsal time from now to then counts. So do try to be on time next time."

"Yes, Axel," Tess mumbles under her breath. She could care less if Axel's mad at her right now; all she cares about is Luke.

"Take a chill pill, Dad, we're not _that_ late," Dana argues, but Axel holds up a hand to silence her.

"Don't talk to your father that way, young lady." Dana shoots Tess a look, saying _I tried_. "Alright, people, let's set up for "Tear it Down"."

The assorted back-up singers and musicians involved in the piece begin assembling the stage for that number – hooking up instruments, configuring props, setting up the lights, etc. Dana immediately leaves the stage and bolts up to where her father is sitting, towards the back of the stadium seating. By the looks of things, they're having an argument – and a heated one at that.

Tess looks at Dana, then over to Luke, who's warming up his voice by Dana's keyboard. Stealing another glance at Dana, she makes sure her friend is fully ensconced in her conversation with her dad, then practically skips across the stage to talk to Luke.

"Good morning," she says sweetly, for once not a trace of venom in her voice. "Did you sleep well?"

"Alright. Obviously _you_ slept well, though." Tess is confused, although she tries not to show it. "You heard Axel – the days until Camp Wars are numbered. Every bit of rehearsal time we can get is crucial. So set an alarm or something from now on, will you? I can't afford to be dragged down because _you_ needed extra beauty sleep."

Tess is stunned by his hostility. Sure, she hadn't expected him to morph into a love-struck idiot overnight, but she also hadn't expected… _this_. He's acting like nothing's changed since last night, like they're still enemies who have to work together, instead of… well, whatever the appropriate title would be now. Enemies who had a late-night make-out session while the rest of camp was asleep? She laughs to herself; it sounds ridiculous even in her head.

"I'm sorry, did you think I was being _funny_? This is serious, Tess! God, sometimes I really wonder why Axel even picked you." His words are like bullets, and they hit her right in the chest. The happy, buzzy, euphoric feeling of new love that's been propelling her through the morning feels like someone's cut the power cord, sending her crashing back down to reality.

Either he has selective amnesia and totally _forgot_ that he kissed her last night, or the kiss meant absolutely nothing to him.

And as much as Tess would like to believe it's the first one – because it hurts at least a little bit less – she knows it's most likely the second one.

What feel like the beginning of tears sting the corners of her eyes, and she blinks them back furiously, cursing her non-waterproof eye makeup. There is absolutely no way she's letting _anyone_ see her cry, _especially_ over a jackass like him. Dana really _was_ right all along – he is a total, unredeemable jerk. Tess swallows the lump in her throat and quickly, casually, raises a finger to her eye and blots away the water.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Dana seems to appear out of nowhere.

"Just got something in my eye, that's all," she lies. "So how'd it go with your dad?" She motions up towards the back of the stadium, where Axel is seated, his face expressionless and unreadable as always.

Dana sighs. "Don't ask."

"What is taking so long?" Axel snaps, sounding angrier than usual. "Dana, why aren't you at the keyboard? Tess, Luke, set up for "Tear it Down"! Camp Wars is less than a week away, people! This is serious!"

Groans and sighs from the assorted background players fill the air, but after a minute or two, everyone gets into position. The music starts, and Tess's mind goes into autopilot; after all the times they've rehearsed this song in the past two weeks, she could do it in her sleep – no joke.

That morning, she makes a promise to herself: no more pining after Luke Williams. He's _so_ not worth all this heartbreak and confusion. And hopefully, after this summer, she'll never have to see him again.

(Of course, that begs the question – where is she going to go to camp next summer, then?)

* * *

**Author's Note: Short, I know, and probably a disappointment for most of you, who were expecting a little more Tess/Luke love. But did you really think I was going to change the movie's plotline _that_ drastically? Like I said in the last chapter, the kiss is important for reasons that will become much more clear in the next couple chapters. But so that the rest of the movie makes sense, they still have to hate each other.**

**Speaking of the next couple chapters, I've finally planned out this story to the end. (Yes, boo-hoo, the end is in sight.) There's probably only going to be about two or three more chapters (maybe counting an epilogue - I'm still not sure yet). But don't start crying yet - once this one is done, I'm planning a companion fic. It's not going to be _nearly_ as long as this one (which kind of took on a life of it's own - it was originally supposed to be the _prologue_ for my other Luke/Tess fic), though. More of an extended one-shot, if you will - detailing some of the major events from "Camp Rock Girl" in Luke's POV, along with some of his thoughts on the things that happened. It's tentatively titled "Opposites Attract" (and you'll see why when I post it - I know it probably doesn't make sense now, because Luke and Tess are far from opposites). And then, before you all can miss me too much, I've got that other Luke/Tess fic in the works, which I'm not going to say too much about now because I don't want to spoil it.**

**So how was this chapter? I always worry when I write Luke and Tess fighting that I'm making them too OOC, and in this one it was even dialed up a notch. (Their relationship seemed so much icier during Camp Wars than even in the rest of the movie, so I figured there _had_ to be a reason why. And the aftermath of the kiss certainly counts, doesn't it?) Another big concern of mine was Dana - we didn't really see too much of her in the movie, and even then it was always with Nate or her dad, so I have no idea how she'd react with a girlfriend. I tried to write her as accurate as I could, but please tell me I got it at least somewhere close to right.**

**Next chapter: Camp Wars! It's going to be a big one (I'm gonna try and fit in the entire event - all the scenes from opening to results - plus a few added original bits), so probably not a fast update. It'll be before Thanksgiving, though - I promise.**

**Ciao!**

**- Authoress**


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: First things first, Happy Turkey Day, everybody! (One day late!) How was everyone's Thanksgivings? I did way more cooking than usual (I made the sweet potatoes and a dessert - pumpkin cheesecake - in addition to helping out with the potatoes and rolls like I always do), so from like 1:00 to 3:00 on Thursday I just kind of passed out. (Lol!) At least it's not as bad as last year, when I ate way too much food - and pie - and fell asleep in the middle of the party. (It was only for like half an hour, but still.)**

**Second: Please forgive me! I'm a very bad authoress - I broke a promise. (I promised I would get this out before Thanksgiving.) Somehow I have a feeling you will, though, once you read this. )**

**Part of the reason it took so long is because of the sheer length. (It's 10 pages!) As promised, it covers the entirety of Camp Wars, with some fun added bits. I'm not completely convinced I like how all of it turned out, but if I tried to keep working on it for too much longer, I think I'd go crazy. (Plus, I wanted to not break my promise _too_ badly.)**

**As always, I've got more to say, but I'll save it for the end. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Five

This is insane.

After all those weeks of planning, rehearsing themselves to the bone, sacrificing sleep and pretty much every other part of summer that was supposed to be _fun_, all their hard work is finally coming down to this.

_ Camp Wars._

_

* * *

_

Tess had known that Axel wasn't the type to skimp on anything as far as the competition was concerned, but seeing it unfold before her eyes was something else entirely. The amphitheater had been _transformed_ into a concert stadium. Posters with the HitzTV logo were plastered everywhere, and special lights were set up everywhere to maximize shooting potential. A camera crew was already setting up in various locations around the stage. The lights system was set up, along with a giant video projection screen in the back. And a whole backstage area had been constructed, with vanity mirrors, a table of refreshments, a keyboard for warming up, and even a TV so that while one camp was performing, the other camp could watch the show live from backstage.

Having the home-field advantage – i.e.: no travel time to account for – Tess had spent most of the day catching up on her sleep (Axel had told them to take the day off, scheduling only a quick run-through before the show). Around four-thirty, Dana came over and turned their cabin into a miniature dressing room. A couple of the other girls had helped with hair and makeup, and after a quick, early snack/dinner (not wanting to risk looking bloated on TV), she was now cooling her heels backstage, reading magazines. Dana was out front, claiming she needed to make sure her keyboard was hooked up properly before the show – but Tess knew she really just wanted to try and score some alone time with Nate before the competition. She didn't blame her friend for trying – after all, if she had a hot rock star boyfriend, she'd definitely want to squeeze in a make-out session. Good for the nerves.

Tess finishes scanning the horoscopes section – she always hated saying she was an Aquarius when people asked what her sign was; it just sounded so weird, too much like 'aquarium' – and tosses her copy of _Us Weekly_ on the top of the ever-growing stack of magazines she'd finished. As much as she hates to admit it, she's bored. She's read six tabloid magazines in the last half hour, and as much fun as they are in small doses, eventually reading about celebrity hookups and diet secrets stops being interesting. She doesn't have any other friends here besides Dana, who's probably with Nate now, and she can't eat or drink anything for fear of messing up her makeup (not that she'd want to – hello, the camera adds ten pounds!). The show isn't supposed to start for another half hour. What on Earth is she supposed to do?

Suddenly, the sounds of talking and laughing fill the quiet backstage. Tess looks up from the _Teen Vogue_ she'd been halfheartedly skimming in an effort to kill time and sees a steady stream of people start to trickle in through a back door. Most of them are carrying instruments or other equipment; all are dressed up and made up for a performance. They look vaguely familiar, but Tess can't figure out why (and not for lack of trying).

Then she sees long dark curls spilling down over a red dress, and immediately, she knows.

She wonders what's the appropriate thing to say to them.

Luckily, Dana saves her from having to stumble through what would most certainly be a very awkward conversation. "Hey, girlfriend," she chirps, beyond grateful for her friend's crazily perfect timing. "Is your keyboard all _hooked up_?"

Dana laughs, but shakes her head. "My keyboard's good, but he wasn't even there, and besides, my dad was hovering. There's no way we could've kissed for the first time with _him_ watching – _especially_ with that TV crew out there."

"Wait, you two haven't even _kissed_ yet?" Tess gapes.

"Nope. When would I have the time? We've been so crazy-busy ever since he snuck over here to play me that song that I haven't even _seen_ him since then."

"Aw, poor Dana. Well, I'm sure you two can sneak off at some point. You look so amazing tonight, it'll be impossible for him to resist." It was true – Dana did look amazing, despite her earlier protests that she felt uncomfortable in an outfit like this. She was wearing a sleeveless red scoop-neck mini-dress that zipped up the front, under a metallic silver jacket with elbow-length sleeves. Her long, thick dark hair had been flat-ironed and combed back, her big brown eyes shadowed in shimmery earth tones, and her full lips super-glossed.

"Thanks. But the real show-stopper tonight is _you_, Miss Tyler. No one's gonna be looking at me behind my keyboard, but _all_ eyes are going to be on you tonight."

Tess blushes. She's wearing a strapless black and white plaid mini-dress with ruffled detailing and a black tulle underskirt, a cropped red short-sleeve jacket, high-heeled red platform boots with black faux-laces, a short necklace with MUSIC written in red and black plaid block letters, and a long red necklace with a rhinestone-studded lightning bolt pendant. Her hair is ironed into sleek perfection, held back with a black headband that had a big red and black plaid bow on one side; her eye makeup is smoky and dramatic, and her lips are stained ruby red. It was quite a show-stopping effect altogether, which was exactly what they were going for.

A flunky dressed all in black runs up to the pair. "Tess, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Axel wants you and Luke to do an interview with Georgina Farlow before the show. Come on, we're running out of time!"

Her lips purse when the boy mentions Luke. His behavior towards her hasn't gotten any more civil since the night they kissed; if anything, it's gotten even worse. So she's gone out of her way to avoid him whenever possible the past week, and so far, it's been working.

Today has been a very good day – partly because she hasn't had to deal with _him_ once yet – and she really doesn't want it spoiled. Of course, she's not stupid enough to think she can get through the entire _night_ without speaking to him, but she's in optimal head space to perform right now and doesn't want to ruin it.

"Do they want Dana too? She is Axel's daughter, after all." Tess clings to her friend's arm, praying the flunky will acquiesce. She's grasping at straws here – anything to keep herself from being semi-alone with Luke.

"No, Georgina wants just the two of you. You are the stars, after all." The last comment was obviously meant to pacify her, but it misses the mark completely. "Look, it'll be quick, seven minutes at the most. The show starts in twenty, and we're up first. Just a quick little interview and then you get back to whatever it is you do to warm up."

Sighing, she resigns herself to the fact that this is inescapable. _Maybe it's better to just get it over with now_, she rationalizes.

"I'll wait for you by the rehearsal keyboard so you can warm up," Dana says. "Don't stress – it's just a quick little interview, and I know you'll kill. You're Tess Tyler, after all."

Hearing that makes her smile. "Thanks, D. You're the best." She pulls her friend into a quick hug.

The flunky taps his foot impatiently. "Whenever you're ready, Tess," he says semi-sarcastically.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." She follows him down a hallway to where a camera crew is set up in front of two chairs. A black woman with a giant blond Afro wearing a long black top and gold leggings is checking her makeup in the nearby mirror, while Luke is sitting in one of the chairs, glancing up at a clock on the wall impatiently.

"I found her, Georgina," the flunky announces to the woman with the Afro.

She turns around and flashes Tess a dazzling, made-for-TV smile amplified by a recently applied coat of plum-colored lipstick. "Tess Tyler?" Tess nods. "Georgina Farlow. I'm with HitzTV. We're covering this event tonight – but you already knew that. You need a touch-up? Of course you don't, you're young and you're beautiful. Have a seat and we'll get started. I'll be quick, I promise – I know you must have a lot of things to do before the competition. God, what I wouldn't give to have just a little bit of your talent." She sighs wistfully. "You know what they say about how those who can't do, teach? Well, in Hollywood, those can't do, report. Preferably in ways that make the ones that can do look bad." She laughs. "I'm just having some fun here, don't worry. Alright, let's get going." Then she turns around to check with the camera guy.

Tess slides into her seat. "Took you long enough," Luke scoffs. "Where've you been all day?" Like her, he's dressed in shades of black and red – a collared white button-down shirt under a bright red sweater vest, a long-sleeved black-and-red-plaid jacket left unzipped, dark-wash jeans, bright red Converse high-tops, and, of course, his trademark black fedora, today with a red and black plaid band running around it.

"Sleeping. You know, that magical thing humans need to function? With all these rehearsals Axel's been throwing at us, I've barely been getting six hours, let alone my requisite ten."

"You only get to live once; you can sleep when you're dead. Besides, it'll all be worth it when we win today."

"So then, smart guy, what did _you_ do today?" But before he can answer, Georgina turns her camera on them and they both shut up.

"Hello and welcome back to Camp Wars, where two camps will battle it out in a musical showdown of epic proportions. I'm here with Luke Williams and Tess Tyler, Camp Star's lead singers. Now Tess, before we go any further, I have to ask – are you related to TJ Tyler?"

Somehow she knew that Georgina would ask this. "Yes, she's my mom."

"So Camp Star's already got the odds tipped in their favor, with TJ Tyler's daughter on their side." Tess smiles for the cameras, fully aware that Luke's blood is boiling at the fact that she's getting extra attention. It almost makes the whole thing worth it. "Alright, you two – so what can you tell me about Camp Star?"

"Well, it's a really great place for anyone interested in studying music," Luke jumps in, obviously not about to be outshined on live television. "We've got state-of-the-art facilities – including an actual recording studio that's open all the time – really great instructors, and, of course, Axel Turner at the helm. What else could you ask for?"

"Plus, we've got air conditioning in the cabins," Tess chimes in, punctuating her sentence with a laugh.

Georgina laughs too. "That alone would be enough to convince me. So how do you guys feel about people saying you've supposedly 'stolen' campers and staff from Camp Rock, who was here before you guys?"

"All I can say is that we didn't _steal_ anybody; they came because it was their choice to. If they'd rather be here than there, it's their decision. Tess here knows all about that, in fact – she was one of the campers who made the switch early this summer."

Tess keeps a smile plastered onto her face for the cameras, even though she's shocked that he brought that up. "Yeah, well, it's just a really different experience here at Camp Star, and some people are more suited for one place rather than the other. They're both really great camps, though," she throws in. Years of media training with her mom have taught her how to react in a situation like this. (They've also taught her how to turn the tables on her fellow interviewee, which she plans to do as soon as she gets an opening.)

"But Camp Star is better," Luke says, laughing as he does, although she can tell that the laughter is just for show.

"Well, we'll see about that later tonight, now won't we?" Georgina laughs. "Okay, one more question before I go. And this one's a little personal, so I apologize in advance. You two obviously spend a lot of time together, and you've got quite a rapport going here from what I can see. Is there anything going on between you romantically?"

If Luke's little 'revelation' about her being a former Camp Rocker had shocked her, then Georgina's question blows her away. Thankfully, Luke seems to be equally taken back, giving her time to jump in first.

"We do spend a lot of time rehearsing together, and we're definitely close, but no, nothing romantic. We're just good friends. I personally make it a rule never to date anyone I perform with – it just adds too much drama to the mix." She smiles at the cameras, trying to pretend like she's not lying through her teeth.

Luke regains his composure. "Yeah, Tess is awesome and all, but we're not together. She's more like a best friend than a girlfriend."

"Oh yeah, he's totally my gay best friend – minus the gay part, of course," she jokes, knowing it'll make great TV.

Just as Tess knew she would, Georgina laughs. "Well, that's good to know. Alright, thank you so much for your time, Tess and Luke." She turns around to face the camera head-on. "Don't go anywhere, because in just a minute, we're going to see these two perform live." She holds a smile for a minute, until the camera guy gives the all clear.

"Sorry about that last question, you two," she says, picking up a brush from the vanity. "Viewers just love hearing about a love connection. Like Shane Gray and that Missy girl."

"It's Mitchie, actually," Tess pipes up before she can stop herself.

"Mitchie, then. Thank you for the tip – it would've been supremely embarrassing to call her the wrong name on-camera." Georgina brushes some powder onto her cheeks. "Well, I'd better get going if I want to squeeze in an interview with Camp Rock before the show starts. Good luck, you two!"

She walks off down the hallway, the camera crew following behind her. Glancing up at the clock, Tess sees that they have only five minutes to show time, and starts walking in the other direction, towards the stage. Luke follows.

As they reach the end of the hallway, she stops and turns around to face him. Still on a high from the interview, she says, "Good luck." Maybe they don't have to date, or even be friends, but it seems like bad karma to go into this major performance hating each other. At least, she's willing to try if he is.

He snorts. "I'll be _lucky_ if you don't forget your words this time."

But then again, it takes two to be civil. And if he's not going to try, then why should she?

With a tiny laugh, she adds, "And by good luck, I mean I hope you fall off the stage."

He shoots her a look, then walks off. Sighing, she shakes her head, then turns around to see all her old friends sitting in director's chairs in front of a line of mirrors. It's clear from the looks on their faces that they saw the entire scene.

Tess smiles half-heartedly and raises her hand in a tiny wave.

They all smile, and Mitchie even waves back, even as she stares at her with a questioning look in her eyes.

With that, she turns around and walks to the right wing of the stage.

Ready or not, it's time to go.

* * *

"As the sun goes down, the volume goes up! Welcome back to the ultimate summer camp showdown, where _you_ decide the winner!" Georgina pauses as the audience cheers.

"What took you so long?" Dana whispers as Tess approaches the side of the stage.

"Interview ran long. Oh, and you would not _believe_ some of the stuff she asked."

"Tell me about it later. Right now, we've gotta go."

"Sounds good. Good luck!"

"Same to you!" Tess slips into position quietly, as Georgina begins talking again.

"Now, first up is Camp Star. Camp Star was founded only this year by superstar producer and founder of Star Records, Axel Turner." She tunes out the rest of the spiel, running through the routine quickly in her head and trying to resist the urge to stare daggers at Luke's back.

All too soon, her attention is jolted back to the stage as Georgina says, "Well, there's no turning back now, because the party has already started. Camp Star, everybody." The audience cheers wildly, as Georgina steps off the stage.

Tess takes a deep breath. The music starts and the back-up singers do their bit. Then two of them pull open the panels and Luke steps out, head down, hat in hand. He places the hat back on his head, just like he's done a million times in rehearsals, and starts singing. "_I was ready for this since I was cradlin'. Put my name on the list, you won't be gamblin'. Not gonna live with just this, we takin' everythin'_."

And then before Tess has time to freak out about it, it's her cue, and she's stepping through the panels – no, _strutting_, hands on her hips and shoulders popping like the diva she is – spotlight on her, just like rehearsal. "_Confidence, compliments, bet you see it's evident._"

He dances past her, almost jumping on quick feet, as the choreography calls for. "_Catch me if you can, I'm like a bandit. I can float on my feet, you can't stand it. I don't just dance in a group, I command it._"

"_We give you more than you want, then you can handle_." Once again, they cross sides, and then launch into the chorus.

"_When we're out on the floor, we'll take over the bar. Stealin' the show, we gonna leave you in awe. When we're coming up, when we're coming up, we gonna tear it down._"

* * *

"_The looks, we got 'em._

_The moves, we got 'em._

_The style, we got it._

_We gonna tear it down._

_The love, we got it._

_The crowd, we own it._

_Tonight, we run it._"

"_We gonna tear it down_." She poses for the end with her hands up victoriously, her red-stained lips plastered in a huge smile, Luke's hat in her hand as he does some weird backflip trick. As the crowd cheers wildly, he returns to her side and she places his hat back on his head, exaggerating things for the audience. Fully aware of the cameras, they laugh and pose playfully together, looking for all the world like a pair of extremely talented, eleven-on-a-scale-of-ten-in-the-looks-department, close friends.

"Camp Star, everyone!" The backup singers, in their metallic hoodies, red baseball caps, and plaid skirts or pants, cluster in the center of the stage behind Georgina, who's reappeared again in between Tess and Luke. The cheering is still going on as she sighs happily into the microphone and continues. "Remember – if you loved them as much as I did, call or text in now. But don't go anywhere, because in a moment we're gonna hear from Camp Rock!"

Tess never stops posing for the cameras, working every inch of her flawless hair and makeup and show-stopping wardrobe. She's yet to come down from that incredible, all-natural high performing gives her – and she doesn't want to. _This_ is why she loves being a singer – the thrill of the crowd cheering you on after an amazing number.

She can almost forget they're cheering for Luke too.

* * *

Tess had made a promise to herself, standing on the stage basking in the glow of their performance. That interview before the show was going to be the only time that night she would talk to Luke. If she could get through the rest of tonight without talking to him again, maybe there was still something salvageable of this night after all.

Of course, most of the best-laid plans often go awry.

Almost immediately after they step off the stage, Tess somehow finds herself sucked into a conversation with Luke about their performance. Any trace of former civility between the pair is completely gone; it's all jabs and insults.

"Would you stop and listen to me?"

"Of course you sounded good next to me."

"Come on."

"Hey!" As they pass by Camp Rock's dressing room area, Mitchie gets up from her chair and pauses at the doorway. "You guys were incredible."

Luke smiles cockily. "I know, right? Only one thing would've made it better – doing a solo." Mitchie's smile falters.

Tess turns her head to stare at him in disgust. "I totally agree." He gives her another funny look, then shakes his head and walks off (thank _God_).

When she turns back to Mitchie, the dark-haired girl averts her gaze, pursing her lips. "It's this banter-y thing that we–" Tess stops mid-sentence, wondering why she's even trying to defend herself; it's clear that Mitchie isn't fooled by their pretense. "Thanks." She smiles at the girl who she's called both rival and friend – which one applies now is unclear – and Mitchie smiles back. "Good luck."

Then she spins on her heel and goes off in search of Dana.

She finally spots her friend leaning against a wall near the back of the room, holding a white carnation and smiling blissfully. Tess figures the flower must be from Nate, and another little pang of jealousy hits her in the stomach as she wishes that she had somebody to bring her flowers. She makes a move to go talk to her, but then, without warning, Dana slips past a set of black curtains and disappears from sight.

At the same time, Georgina's voice echoes through the relatively quiet backstage area from the TV screen. Tess's breath catches in her throat involuntarily.

It's Camp Rock's turn.

* * *

"And we're back," Georgina says. "If you liked Camp Star, get ready to be blown away by Camp Rock. Now, Camp Rock was founded by rock icon and _legendary_ lead guitarist, Brown Cesario." The camera cuts to Brown, who stands up and waves, as the crowd cheers. "Ladies and gentlemen, Camp Rock."

Catchy guitar music fills the silence, along with a soft keyboard harmony. The audience immediately starts clapping along. Then a spotlight shines on Shane, who's somewhere in the middle of the crowd, holding a microphone. "_They say that life is a two-way street. When you're not sure you've gotta trust your feet, to know the right way."_

"_You can keep on moving with your head down, or you can stop and take a look around. And that's the choice I've made."_ Unsurprisingly, it's Mitchie who joins him in the duet. The two of them make their way to the staircase aisle, singing in harmony.

"_It's for that movie inside your head… Makin' memories we can't forget… And when you can't forget… you're gonna know!"_

The music kicks up a notch, as two people run across the stage and launch into a tumbling pass, and the giant video screen starts flashing a video of the entire camp in a water fight. People rush out from both sides of the stage, filling the back with dancing and laughter, as Mitchie and Shane sing and dance around each other in the spotlight in front.

Tess watches as the camera pans in on Caitlyn, Ella, Peggy, Barron, Sander, and all the others whose names she never learned. They're not even singing, just dancing in the background. But they look like they're having the time of their lives. Unlike Camp Star's performance, which took them weeks of all-day and all-night rehearsals to perfect, this one looks like it wasn't even practiced at all besides the singing – that they're simply dancing however they feel like. And that video… it's all funny moments from their summer, that were somehow captured on videotape. Memories of a summer she wasn't a part of.

Memories of a summer she _wishes_ she was a part of.

She hadn't even realized she wasn't alone until Axel comes up behind them and pauses in front of the screen for a minute. "How sappy. They think they can pull on people's heartstrings with the whole we've-got-heart thing and win with a sympathy vote. And that video? They're smarter than I gave them credit for – I'll admit that. But they're no match for us. We've got this thing in the bag. Good job, you two." He pats Luke on the shoulder, then leaves.

Luke scoffs. "Could they _be_ more cheesy? _You're gonna know in your soul, this is what we came here for_?" He laughs. "My _grandma_ could write better lyrics than that."

Her anger flares, and this time, she doesn't try to hold it back. "You don't know what you're talking about. That song is ten times better than ours could ever be, because they actually _believe_ in what they're singing."

"Come on, Tess. Sure, they're _alright_, but they're never going to get anywhere in the music business. Whereas _we_ are going places." Studying her eyes, which are watching the screen like it's a crystal ball that holds the key to her future (and maybe it does), he adds, "You're not seriously wishing you were up there with them, are you?"

"Would that be so bad?" she asks. "They look like they're really having fun."

"Fun?" he scoffs. "You're better than that. You're better than them. You want to be famous – you're just as stubborn and as driven as I am. And that's why we're going to the top."

"You're right," she says. "I'm just not sure if that's something to be proud of anymore." Then she walks away, using the black curtain Dana disappeared behind earlier to come out onto Axel's private viewing box reserved for Camp Star. Dana gives her a nod of acknowledgment, but neither of them tries to talk over the music.

Instead, Tess turns her attention back to the stage. As a guitar solo plays, people are bouncing on trampolines, gliding down fireman's poles, sliding down slides, and spinning on the merry-go-round that had seemed awkwardly out of place on the stage before. Oversized clear plastic beach balls are being tossed around in the audience, like enormous bubbles. The entire performance screams _fun_.

"_You're gonna know, in your soul, this is what we came here for. So live it now, here and now. This moment it won't be ignored. So why not open up that door… So come on open up that door… It's what we came here… came here… for…_

_That's what we came here, came here for!"_

Beach balls are still bouncing around in the air, as the audience explodes into wild applause. As the rest of Camp Rock cheers and celebrates in the background, Shane picks Mitchie up and twirls her around in a circle, and the two share a long, meaningful hug. If it wasn't already clear to the world how much they care about each other, it is now. Tess smiles; her little crush on Shane last year was just that – a silly little schoolgirl crush – and it's obvious now that what he has with Mitchie is the real thing.

"Weren't they incredible!" Georgina somehow reappears in the midst of the celebration onstage, squeezing herself between the embracing couple. "So call in now and tell us which summer camp ruled. And don't go anywhere; we'll be right back."

Immediately, the amphitheater fills with the sound of hundreds of cell phones all dialing and texting. Tess reaches into a pocket on the side of her dress and pulls out her own phone – the latest iPhone, with a glittering rhinestone star on the back, courtesy of a celebrity phone "customizer" – bringing up the format for a new text and hitting the buttons for the Camp Wars number.

Then she hesitates.

All around her, people are entering the combination to vote for Camp Star. That's who she "should" vote for – after all, why would you vote for the other team?

But somehow, she can't seem to bring herself to punch in those five little numbers.

"Is your phone not working?" Dana asks, misinterpreting Tess's hesitation as a phone problem. She slides her own phone back into her pocket, but not before Tess can get a glimpse of the text she just sent.

A text voting for Camp Rock.

Tess shakes her head and enters a five-digit combination, her heart suddenly a million times lighter, like a heavy weight had just been lifted off her chest. "No, it's fine. I'm just a little dizzy, that's all – haven't eaten anything, like, all day."

She presses SEND, feeling like – although no one will ever know – she's made a small step in the right direction at last.

* * *

"So, you were saying something about a crazy interview?"

"Oh my God, _yes_. I almost forgot about that." Backstage is a blue of people and noise, as everyone filters off the stage and away from the prying eyes of the camera lenses. People are talking and laughing – decompressing, after the craziness of the prior activities. The results are being tallied right now; there's nothing else they can do but wait.

(The tension in the air is thick enough to be cut with a knife, but for now, everyone is trying to act like the worst is over.)

"I can't _wait_ to see it. You know, my dad is making copies of the show and sending everyone home with one to show their parents? In case anyone happened to have somehow missed it, of course."

Tess laughs. "That sounds like Axel Turner. And hey, girlfriend, you owe me some explaining – I saw that flower. From your Camp Rock Romeo, I presume?"

Dana's eyes light up in happiness, the way they only ever do when Tess mentions Nate. "Who else?"

"I don't know." They pass the snacks table – which miraculously still has food left on it, somehow – and Tess's stomach grumbles. That thing about being dizzy from not eating anything all day she'd said earlier _was_ true. And now that the performance is over, there's no need to worry so much about messing up her hair and makeup. "Hey, I'll catch up with you in a minute, okay? I'm so hungry, I feel like I'm about to pass out."

"Alright. They should be done counting the votes soon, so I'll just meet you onstage." From the look in her eyes, Tess is pretty sure she knows where her friend's going to go, and decides to call her out on it.

"Sounds like a plan. And hey – say hi to Nate for me, will you?" Then she disappears into the crowd before Dana can get another word in.

She picks up a plate and starts to load up, mindful as always that the broadcast is not over and she doesn't have time for a full makeup touch-up. After grabbing a couple of strawberries and some cheese and crackers, she zeroes in on a plate of gourmet chocolates and instantly reaches for some, calories be damned. Her fingers collide with another person's, who evidently had the same idea.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The voice is soft and sweet, and oh so familiar. "Oh… Hey, Tess…"

"Hi…" Tess looks up to see Caitlyn Gellar, her former best friend, standing on the opposite side of the snack table.

"You always did love your chocolate," Caitlyn remarks, almost wistfully, sounding like she's remembering something from a long time ago, back when they were so close they might as well have been joined at the hip. Before fame and money and boys and popularity pulled them apart.

"Look who's talking. Remember at your tenth birthday party? Everyone was waiting in the other room for you to open presents, but you were still sitting at the table, eating your _third_ slice of chocolate cake." She slides back into this familiar vein of conversation easily, like slipping on a favorite pair of jeans. It's almost like the past seven years have never happened.

Caitlyn laughs. "I was ten, alright? Cut me a little slack." Tess laughs along with her, not wanting this feeling to go away.

They linger awkwardly at the end of the table, neither wanting to leave the comfort of their little bubble. Finally, Tess reaches out and touches Caitlyn's arm. "Good luck," she says. "You guys were incredible."

"Thanks. You too," the curly-haired girl replies. "And, um, for what it's worth… we did miss you this summer."

A pang of something that feels a lot like guilt hits Tess right in the stomach. "I missed you guys too," she says. "Uh, see you around?"

"Yeah."

In that moment, an understanding passes between the two girls who used to be the best of friends – and maybe still can be.

After all, the world they live in takes care of it's own.

"There you are!" Dana exclaims, running up to Tess's side. "Come on, we gotta go. They're announcing the winner."

"Okay, I'm coming." Tess drops her food on the table, mostly uneaten, then pauses and grabs one of the chocolates. Stuffing it in her mouth, she allows Dana to drag her out to the stage.

* * *

"And the results are in." The wild clapping and cheering dies down to a hush, like everyone in the amphitheater is holding their breath in anticipation along with the performers.

Tess steals a glance at Camp Rock's side of the stage. They're holding hands, crossing fingers, closing eyes…

Then all around her, people are erupting into celebration. Axel yells and punches his fist into the air like a kid. Back-up dancers are hugging and cheering and jumping up and down in excitement, and Axel gives Luke a hug so big he practically lifts him off the ground.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she processes that they've won, but she never takes her eyes off her (former?) friends. Shane sighs so heavily his entire body moves with the effort, while Mitchie looks like she's been punched in the stomach, her face frozen with shock and disappointment. Caitlyn's eyes fill with sadness, and Barron/Sander scowls. The little kids uncross their fingers sadly, staring at their feet. Brown closes his eyes and turns away from the stage.

The excited mood around her is contagious, and when it finally sinks in that Camp Star is the winner, she beams at first. But then she takes another look at Camp Rock, and her smile starts to fade.

She sees Dana boldly walk over to Nate, whose expression is unreadable, and give him a hug. Jason claps good-naturedly, but looks away. People are kicking their feet, hanging their heads, and some are even crying.

Tess looks back at the celebration behind her, then takes a few steps forward and puts her hand on Mitchie's shoulder. The dark-haired girl is leaning against Shane, her head tucked under his chin, eyes closed. When she looks up, Tess can see that her dark brown eyes are brimming with unshed tears. Neither of them says anything, but no words are needed. She's there, and that's enough.

Mitchie turns away and blinks back her tears. Her sad eyes seem to scream _why is this happening to me?_ Tess wishes there was something – anything – she could do. A sour lump of guilt sticks in her throat.

(That's when she thinks she might just be Camp Rock after all.)

* * *

**Author's Note: So how was it? Did I pull it off? Were the added bits in-character enough?**

**BTW, if anyone's confused about that line at the end - "That's when she thinks she might just be Camp Rock after all" - it refers to something from the prologue. Go back and check it out if you really can't remember. I'm sorry if that's the case.**

**Sorry if it I seemed to gush about the clothes too much – I adore fashion, and the Camp Star crew's outfits at Camp Wars were truly gush-worthy. That was probably my favorite outfit of Tess's – that and the one from "It's On." She too had the cutest clothes of anyone in Camp Rock 2 – although she sure did wear a lot of plaid. (Seriously, I think there were only two outfits that didn't have some article of clothing in a plaid print, and one of them she only wears onscreen for less than a minute.) Only one minor quibble (okay, not so minor: rant alert here!). I went back and watched some of the first movie, and can I just say – Tess wore heels in both of her performance outfits. So why is she all of a sudden wearing flat boots and freaking _Converse_? (Yes, she is wearing freaking Converse in "It's On." Not that I have anything against Converse myself – I own a couple pairs – but come on, they are just not the footwear of Tess Tyler!) Okay, rant over.**

**Next chapter is probably my favorite - it also contains one of, if not _the_ single biggest change I made to the original storyline. Then there will be one more chapter after that. Awww, I know - this story is coming to an end. But you guys won't have time to miss me. I've got _so_ many ideas for Luke/Tess one-shots (including one about the holidays, that should be coming to a computer screen near you very soon...), and, of course, my other chapter fic, which is _still_ in the works (although I still can't freaking figure out how to start it.) And, of course, the counterpart to "Camp Rock Girl" in Luke's viewpoint, which I really should be working on soon.**

**Not going to make a promise that I risk not being able to keep about when the next chapter's coming out (I learned from last time!), but it should be soon. I still can hardly believe I'm so close to actually _finishing_ a non-oneshot story (very rare, if you look at my stories list.)**

**Reviews, please!**

**- Authoress**


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Let me just go on the record with saying that writing all of this chapter did not take me over two months. I wrote most of it right after finishing the last chapter, actually. It's the last bit that took me two months of struggling over to finally get right. (And then I ended up finishing it like last night. Go figure).**

**You'll see why once you get to it. Not going to say anything more, for fear my big mouth will let loose a spoiler, but just because I think I should be fair and warn y'all, the last bit that took me so long to write gets a little... _intense_. Now don't say I didn't warn you. (And shoot, that was probably a spoiler. Damn.)**

**Without further ado, enjoy! This one's a whopper! (Damn, another spoiler!)**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Six

Camp Star really is nothing like Camp Rock.

For one thing, Brown _never _would've allowed them to throw a party in the dining hall at this time of night. But Axel basically _encourages_ it. (And he turns a blind eye when some enterprising boys reveal they've snuck in some alcohol.)

Because she's one of the lead singers, Tess finds herself in the middle of all the craziness, even though she really just wants to go back to her cabin and lie in bed for a few hours, thinking everything over. She accepts a vodka cranberry from someone, and dances for a while, pretending she's having fun. But eventually, she manages to disappear without anyone noticing, and heads back to the cabin.

It's empty, of course; everyone else is off partying. Exhaling, Tess flops onto her bed on her back and stares up at the ceiling.

As hard as she tries, she just can't seem to get their faces out of her head. Mitchie's tear-filled eyes, Caitlyn's stormy expression, Shane's full-body sigh, Brown turning away, the little kids uncrossing their fingers and staring at their feet… They're playing over and over in her head on a constant loop, each time only intensifying the knots in her stomach.

After a moment, Tess gets up and walks over to the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. Reaching for one of her makeup-removing face wipes, she starts to scrub off the glamorous makeup.

_We won – I should be on top of the world. So why do I feel like I lost?_

(The doubts she's been harboring all summer long bubble up under her skin, like they're trying to escape. And then she lets them.)

Tess strips off her performance clothes, piling them in a heap on the floor. She moves like she's walking through fog, her mind only halfway aware of what she's doing as she changes into new, more comfortable clothes. Only when she's about to walk out the door does she look down and see what she's put on – a pink down vest over a long-sleeved black, white, pink and purple plaid flannel button-down shirt and black jeans.

Campfire clothes.

And in that second, she knows exactly where she's going.

The door swings open before she can reach for the handle, revealing Dana in the doorway. She's also changed out of her performance clothes, and into a long-sleeved high-collared black jacket belted with a shimmery rhinestone belt, over black jeans tucked into boots. Judging by her choice of attire, it's clear she had the same idea that Tess had.

"I saw you leave the party," Dana offers by way of explanation. "When you came back here, I figured you had the same idea."

"Wow – were we on the same wavelength or something?" She smiles at the dark-haired girl, grateful that she won't be alone when she goes back to the other side of the lake. "Thank you," she says softly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I can see the fire already."

Her heart leaps. "Yes. Let's go."

They start down the path leading away from the cabins, but are intercepted after only a few steps. "What are you guys doing?" The voice is vaguely familiar, and as Tess squints she can make out a small group of girls – her cabin-mates, the ones she basically blew off all summer in favor of Dana and Luke.

"None of your business," Dana retorts sharply, grabbing Tess's arm and tugging her down the path. But Tess stops, staring at the girl closest to her. She thinks her name is Alecia – yes, that's right, she'd helped with their makeup before Camp Wars.

"You're going to Camp Rock," Alecia says. It's not a question – merely a statement of fact. Tess nods. "I'm coming too."

Her eyes widen. "What?"

"Me too," a petite girl to her right says. A name comes from somewhere in the back of her mind – Tanya. "Camp Star might be flashier, but if I'd known about Camp Rock, I would've told my parents to send me there instead."

"It's just so much more… _fun_," a tall blond girl adds. She was one of the backup singers, Tess knows; her name is… Kristen? Kirsten? Something like that.

"Axel's way too demanding. Whereas that Brown guy seems so nice," Keisha puts in. Tess remembers her – the African-American girl whose part she took on "Tear it Down" that first day.

"And oh my God – Connect 3 are counselors? Sign me up!" a ditzy-sounding redheaded named Lorelei chimes in.

"There are a whole bunch of us who think we made the wrong choice coming here instead of there," Alecia says. Of all the girls, she seems like the leader. "We were hoping that maybe… you could take us across the lake?"

Tess looks at Dana, who's shifting her weight from side to side and staring across the lake impatiently. "Tess, we have to go – like, now."

She turns back to Alecia and the others, who are staring at her with such eager expressions on their faces. "Come on," Tess says finally. "I know a shortcut that doesn't involve the lake."

* * *

She can hear the campfire before she sees it. Guitar chords, accompanied by what sounds a lot like a tambourine, people clapping, and of course, everyone singing – a song that seems to capture the spirit of Camp Rock. Their voices, full of emotion, rise into the air, soaring and twisting like a good song should. "_This is our song, that's all that matters. 'Cuz we all belong, right here together. There's nothing better than singing along. This is our summer, and this is our song… This is our song… This is our song… This is our song."_

"What's that?" someone says from the fire pit. Tess looks up to see a small fleet of canoes making their way across the lake, with lanterns lighting the way. So Alecia wasn't kidding about there being a lot of people wanting to make the switch. More people spill in from other paths, flashlights in hand, as the campfire circle grows bigger.

Like they've been expecting them, a pathway clears in the middle that leads to the center by the fire, where Brown and all her friends are. Tess and Dana lead the way, Alecia and the others following behind.

She'd thought about what to say to them on the whole walk over from Camp Star, but standing there now, she can hardly put together a complete sentence. "Hi," she says sheepishly. "We saw the fire."

"We really don't get to do this kind of thing," Dana puts in.

"So we were hoping there was room for some of us to join."

Brown smiles warmly at her, like a father rewarding his little girl for doing the right thing. "There's always room," he says.

"And Brown, if it's okay with you I'd really like to come back to Camp Rock next summer."

His smile just gets bigger. "Come on." He motions her over to the circle by the fire, and she looks briefly at Dana, who shoves her lightly towards her other friends. As she goes, she sees Nate look up from his guitar and smile shyly at Dana, and she knows her friend will be fine.

"_Come on and sing na, na na na na, hey yah-ah, yeah!"_

Tess takes her place in between Ella and Peggy, laughing and clapping along to the music. Across the circle, she can see Dana smiling and laughing next to Nate. The crowd of people has grown exponentially – more than half of Camp Star must be here right now.

As they raise their voices to join the song, Tess smiles in pure delight. The fire is warm and comforting, and for the first time since she left Camp Rock at the beginning of the summer, she feels like she's come home.

Right here, singing along with all her friends – _this_ is where she belongs.

"_This is our song, that's all that matters._

'_Cuz we all belong right here together._

_There's nothing better than singing along._

_This is our summer…_

_And this is our song… (this is our song)_

_This is our song… (and this is our song!)_

_This is our song… (and this is our song!)_

_This is our song."_

* * *

It's very late when Tess realizes that they should probably be getting back to Camp Star, or Axel will have an enormous freak-out. After saying good-bye to all her friends (which takes way longer than necessary, because none of them want her to leave), she and Dana round up everyone and they head back the way they came – some in boats, some on foot.

"That was by far, _the_ best idea you've had all summer," Dana says, as they make their way back through the woods. She too looks like she's still coming down off an all-natural high – and her lip gloss is smudged. Hmm…

"Okay, missy, talk. Did you and Nate finally lock lips?" Dana's silence is enough confirmation, and they both explode into peals of laughter. "Oh my God! So was he a good kisser?"

"You know a lady never kisses and tells," Dana coos mysteriously, which only sets the pair off laughing again.

People keep coming up to the two of them, telling them how much fun that was and thanking them for leading the way. Tess revels in the attention, feeling the best she has all summer.

When they finally get back to camp, she and Dana part ways at her cabin, which is still empty, although the lights are blazing. As she opens the door and steps foot inside, her nose wrinkles. The plush opulence that she'd loved so much now seems gaudy and tacky – out of place at what's supposed to be a summer camp. She can't imagine spending another night here anymore.

And just like that, Tess gets a crazy idea.

Pulling her suitcase out from underneath her bed, she opens the drawers of the dresser next to her bed and begins to pull out her clothes. With the cabin all to herself, she works quickly, moving around the giant space and picking up anything that belongs to her, throwing it into her suitcase haphazardly.

_Please, let them not have filled my bed already,_ she prays.

She's just doing a final sweep of the cabin, making sure she didn't forget anything, when the door creaks open. "What are you doing?"

Tess jumps. A pair of heels drops out her hands and clatters to the floor. Luke leans against the doorway, looking amused.

"I could say the same for you," she retorts coolly, regaining her composure. She picks up the fallen shoes and places them in her suitcase.

"You and Dana disappear from the party, like half the camp follows you, and then a bunch of boats go across the lake. It's not that hard to figure out what happened next." He steps further into the cabin, shutting the door behind him.

Tess holds her head high, refusing to let him bait her right now. In a few minutes, she'll be back at Camp Rock, and then hopefully she'll never have to see or talk to him again. "So?"

"Why do you want to waste your time, going backwards?" He's changed his clothes slightly from the performance – taken off the red jacket and sweater, and swapped his obnoxiously bright red shoes for plain black ones. In just a white button-down shirt and jeans (and his signature fedora, of course), he looks very handsome – like the way he did that first time she saw him perform at the bonfire, when her crush was sparked.

But she's not the same girl now that she was then, and honestly, Tess wouldn't want to go back after everything that's happened this summer.

"Is it really going backwards? Being at Camp Rock makes me happy – it makes me remember why I loved music so much to start with." She shuffles some things around in her suitcase, trying to make everything fit better.

"Axel won't be happy when he finds out his star singer is jumping ship. And Axel Turner is not someone you want as your enemy."

"Who cares? If he's really going to get that upset about summer camp, then he's just being a whiny little baby."

"Damn it, Tess, you're making a mistake!"

"No. Coming _here_ was the mistake." Tess wonders why he's getting so worked up about this. The way he keeps talking, it almost sounds like he's trying to convince her to stay. But why? "Why do you even care what I do? I thought you hated me."

There's silence for a moment. Tess zips up her suitcase and sets it on the ground next to her bed – or, rather, her former bed now. She pops the handle and starts to walk towards the door, trying not to dwell on this.

Then, just like that night after rehearsals, Luke grabs her arm and pulls her against his chest, his lips crashing onto hers in one seamless motion that leaves her breathless. Her eyes widen in surprise instinctively, but then he's kissing her the way she'd always dreamed of being kissed, and all thoughts fly out of her head.

This kiss isn't sweet and gentle, like the one they shared after the late-night rehearsal. It's passionate and demanding, fueled by the fire burning between them all summer that is now finally coming to its peak.

In the back of her mind, Tess knows that she should push him away – he's been such a jerk to her all summer, and hello, remember what happened after the last time he kissed her? But then his lips are burning a trail down her neck, and it feels _so good_…

To think they wasted the entire summer yelling at each other, when they could have been doing _this_.

"What are you doing?" she breathes, practically forcing the words out of her mouth. It's hard to form coherent thoughts, let alone articulate them, when Luke is planting butterfly kisses along the curve of her neck, teasing his tongue along her exposed collarbone.

"Shhh," he says, kissing her again. A low moan escapes her throat, and the sensations temporarily override any other thoughts in her head. "Don't you trust me?"

_No!_ a part of her yells, forcing its way through the haze of lust clouding her mind. Magic lips aside (and hands, and likely various other body parts too…), he's still the same asshole that played with her feelings like a yo-yo all summer. She pulls back from his embrace, opening her mouth with every intention of telling him just that. But before even a single word escapes her lips, he's pulling her against him again, his mouth on hers and his hands sliding underneath her tank top. Goosebumps erupt all along the trail his fingers leave on her abdomen, and when they reach for the bottom of her bra, Tess's breath catches in her throat, her heart racing in anticipation.

Goddamn it, why does he have to be so _good_ at this? She's been with other boys before, but none of them have ever affected her this way.

_Would it be so wrong to just let go?_

Then she's lying underneath him on her bed, and his hands are exploring her body. And she really should make him stop, but oh God, how she doesn't want to… It's like there's an electric current running under her skin, electrifying every nerve in her body. Never before has she felt so _alive_.

(If this is a sin, she'll gladly burn in Hell to experience such pleasure.)

Tess closes her eyes, her body arching into his hands seemingly of its own accord. The lights are still blazing in the cabin, which under normal circumstances would make her shy and awkward about having a guy see her in just her La Perla silk-and-lace underwear, but with the way Luke's looking at her – like she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen – she forgets to be insecure.

_No one_ has ever looked at her like that.

And that's the final push – the last thing she needs to let herself block out everything else and just surrender to the moment.

White-hot pleasure spirals through her, uncoiling like a spring, racing through her entire body like a wildfire through a dense forest. Tess feels delirious, almost drunk on the powerful sensations ignited deep within her. She's never experienced anything like this before.

Then the deprivation starts to set in, and the world races before her eyes until it all blurs together and fades to black, just like in the movies.

(Of course, if this were a movie, she'd be guaranteed a happy ending. Real life, though, is a little more complicated.)

* * *

**Author's Note: Now do you see why it took me so long?**

**So yes, _that_, for anyone who somehow didn't put two and two together, is my biggest change to the original CR2 plotline and the reason I had the kiss in ch. 3. (In my original plot for this story, the first kiss never existed, so they basically had sex the first time they ever kissed. Eventually, I realized there was something wrong with that, and added in the ch. 3 kiss.)**

**Random fun fact, for anyone interested: I have decided that Alecia is the girl who came up to Brown during "This Is Our Song" and asked him to put her on the list. The rest of the OCs are mine, and cannot be used without permission. But no one really cares about that, do they - not when I just gave you a steamy Tess/Luke sex scene? (BTW, do you think this deserves a rating change? My personal opinion is that it just toes the line but doesn't cross it, and M-rated fics just get so many fewer viewers...)**

**Next chapter is the end! In it we will see the aftermath of the two-month-long-scene, and I hope my plans for a conclusion will be satisfying enough for y'alls. (Spoiler alert: that last sentence, as with most of the parenthetical quips in this story - I think I was on a roll with those - will prove eerily prophetic...) Then keep your eyes out for the companion fic (which will not be anywhere near as long) from Luke's POV, and my other Tess/Luke fic, which I now finally have a start point for. (YES!)**

**A bientot! (That's French for "see you later", for anyone out there who doesn't speak French)**

**- Authoress**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Yes, the time has come for us to say goodbye. The day is finally here. This is the last chapter of Camp Rock Girl. Boo-hoo-hoo.**

**Honestly, I still can't believe I finished it - or how _long_ it became. (I did tell you all that this started off as a _prologue_, right? Just checking.) Admittedly, the ending is not as great as I would've liked it to be, but I spent far too long dithering over how to do it better, and eventually just tossed in the towel. Besides, this isn't _realy_ the end, after all - we've still got the companion piece in Luke's POV, and hopefully that will have a better ending. (Once I start it...)**

**So without further adieu, I present to you: the final chapter of Camp Rock Girl!**

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* * *

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Chapter Seven

Tess can't remember the last time she'd experienced such a deep, dreamless sleep before. Probably never – even asleep, she's always thinking, plotting and scheming her way to the top. (Blame Mommy Dearest for that nasty little habit.)

Not now, though. Her mind is blissfully blank; her body weightless, like she's floating on a cloud. Every bad thought has simply left her head, so that all she knows is peace and happiness. This must be paradise, she decides. To be so free, unburdened by anything; to just _be_, and be happy in the moment.

_Can I stay forever?_

The wind shifts slightly, and she shivers. Okay, so maybe it's not 'paradise', per se; true paradise would definitely be warmer.

Wait.

Cold.

With a start, Tess's eyes fly open, her heart racing, like she'd just fallen off that perfect cloud and back down to reality – which, in a way, she has.

And it's _cold_ in reality.

The first thing she notices is _why_ she's so cold; her clothes are lying in a pile on the floor.

_How did that happen?_

Wrapping herself in the sheets, she sits up against the headboard of her bed, running her fingers through her hair somewhat absentmindedly. Her mind is still coming-to from whatever put her in that coma-like sleep, so it takes longer than normal to process things – namely, what the hell just happened to her that she can't remember. Slowly, memories are starting to come back; all loose and disjointed, like puzzle pieces.

_ Coming back from the campfire. Deciding spur-of-the-moment to go back to Camp Rock. Wildly packing everything. Luke barging in for whatever reason. Us arguing. And oh my God…_

Tess inhales sharply as the last bit fits into place.

_No way. Did I really just have sex with Luke Williams?_

There's certainly a good deal of evidence suggesting so.

_Then where the hell is he now?_

Good question.

* * *

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Tess chants under her breath, re-packing the last of her toiletries. Her damp blond hair sticks to the back of her neck, and she wonders if it's worth the time to pull out her blow-dryer and do her hair properly. But no, she decides. zipping up her suitcase and setting it on the ground – the main priority is just getting out of Camp Star. For once in her life, vanity can wait.

Tess winces slightly as her jacket rubs against her arm, the skin still bright red and raw from her twenty minute shower. (Actually, 'shower' is probably too nice of a term for what she did – cranked the water up to the highest possible setting and just stood under it, not paying attention to the burning, then scrubbed herself raw with a loofah, trying to erase every trace of him from her body.) It didn't work, though – she can still feel him, like he's gotten underneath her skin, where no amount of hot water or scrubbing can reach.

Her campfire clothes are lying in the trashcan. She would have burned them if she could – anything to get rid of him – but that would require her to stay here even longer. And that's the last thing she wants right now. More than anything, she longs to be back at Camp Rock – to put the distance of the lake between her and her problems.

(When things get difficult or don't go her way, Tess Tyler runs. It's one of her least appealing traits – not that she'll ever own up to it.)

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Tess blinks back the start of tears from the corners of her eyes for what seems like the thousandth time tonight. Not once since waking up alone (after what was quite possibly the best sex she's ever had) has she shed even a single tear – not even in the boiling shower – and she'd like to keep it that way. This latest stunt only proves to hammer in the nail even further; Luke Williams is not worth any more of her time, effort, or energy – including her tears.

Pausing in the doorway, Tess looks back at the place she's called 'home' for the last seven weeks. It just serves to strengthen her resolve that she feels not even a hint of sadness at leaving it behind. Switching off the lights, she closes the door behind her and starts down the path to the rest of camp, leaving her problems behind her with every step.

* * *

The night air is cold on her face, providing a bit of relief to her raw and peeling skin. It's a lot darker now than when she and Dana led the group to the campfire, and with only the moon and a few tiny far-away cabin lights as her guide, Tess ends up more than a little bit lost, cursing herself for forgetting a flashlight. (A memory of the last time she found herself in the woods late at night with no flashlight pushes itself to the forefront of her mind, and she forces it back, along with the onslaught of pre-tears it brings.)

She's almost about to give up and try to go back to Camp Star for the night (as if that would be any easier at this point…) when a familiar structure catches her eye through the darkness.

The rickety old painted-wood Camp Rock boathouse.

Biting her tongue to keep from shrieking in delight, Tess follows the path up into the main camp. As expected, most of the inside lights are off, as are the outside lanterns. Her old cabin, Cabin Vibe, is one of the few with its lantern still lit, which gives her hope.

Shifting her luggage so she's holding it all in one hand, she cautiously reaches for the door handle. To her surprise, the door swings inward slightly at her touch. Guess somebody forgot to lock it. She mentally sighs; now she'll have to announce her presence herself, instead of with a knock at the door.

Except then someone on a top bunk sits up and stares at her through the darkness. "Tess?"

_Caitlyn_.

Tess smiles shyly, dropping her luggage on the ground. "Hi, Caity."

Caitlyn rubs her eyes a few times, reaching for a light near her bed. "Am… Am I dreaming?"

"Nope. No dream. I'm really here."

The others are starting to wake up. "Ugh, Caitlyn, why'd you turn on the light?" Peggy groans, stretching her arms above her head. She freezes in mid-air when she sees Tess. "Tess?"

"Tess?" Ella echoes, sitting up on her bottom bunk. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah," Mitchie says, wrapping herself in the blankets from below Caitlyn. "It's great to see you and all, but… why are you here?"

"I realized I didn't want to stay at Camp Star anymore," she says simply, dropping her stuff by the single bed in the corner she'd claimed as her own at the beginning of the summer. It's still made up with her pink and purple bedding; she vaguely remembers thinking she'd send one of her mother's assistants back across the lake for it at the end of the summer, or just leave it there. It warms her heart that they never took it off.

"Tess… it's two in the morning. You seriously walked all the way over here from Camp Star? Are you crazy?"

"Yes – I was crazy; crazy to ever ditch you guys. I can't believe I was so stupid, and shallow, and I totally understand if you all hate me right now, but I–"

"Tess." Caitlyn climbs down off the top bunk and places a hand on her shoulder. She's wearing a pale blue camisole and matching baggy drawstring pajama bottoms with a dark blue polka-dot print, her brown hair in slept-on messy curls, but it's her eyes that draw Tess's attention – they're full of forgiveness. Something tightens in her chest as she realizes just how much she cares about these girls – yet how easily she ditched them when something sparkly and new was dangled in front of her face. _Never again_, she promises. Among other things, this summer has taught her who her true friends are. "Stop talking. We forgive you."

"But I helped Camp Star win," she protests half-heartedly, still not truly ready to believe they're just going to accept her back into the fold like that.

"And then you brought like half of Camp Star over here," Caitlyn points out. "Tess, we understand why you jumped ship – even if we didn't like it. And you're back now – in the middle of the night, which just goes to prove the point. So come on; put on your PJs and then get back in here. You missed a _lot_ of gossip this summer." The pixie-ish girl's face lights up with a mischievous smile.

Biting the inside of her cheek to supress the urge to squeal and giggle like a little girl, Tess grabs the first pajama set out of her suitcase and hurries into the bathroom to get changed and join her friends.

As she takes her place in the impromptu gossip-fest circle on the floor, she makes a promise to herself; she will never forget what she learned this summer. Her little sojourn at Camp Star will be nothing more than a blip on the radar, barely a footnote in the book of her life. Tess Tyler becoming a star is still not a dream but an inevitability, but she will do it _right_. Not like her mother, whom she embodied so much this summer without even realizing it.

"So, Tess," Peggy says, her eyes dancing with mischief, "were there any hot guys at Camp Star?"

"Yeah, come on, T – you must have a good story," Caitlyn adds.

Tess hesitates for a moment. "Nah – Axel had us working so hard, literally all I did was eat, sleep, rehearse, and repeat. If there were any particularly choice specimens, I never noticed them."

The pain is still too fresh for her to talk about Luke. Though trashing him with the girls would undoubtedly be fun (and maybe even a bit therapeutic), that would only be a Band-Aid, over what's beginning to feel like a bullet wound.

So she half-listens as Mitchie recounts the details of her first date with Shane, and adds a second part to her promise: to erase every memory of Luke Williams.

Out of sight, out of mind.

(Yeah right.)

* * *

**Author's Note: Meh. Like I said, not the best ending, but I knew from the start how I wanted to do the ending and the rest of the story just sort of evolved from that, so maybe getting all caught up took it's toll. But anyways, we've still got the companion piece, and that will have a better ending, I promise. (Also, we'll see Luke redeemed a bit - I kind of wrote him off as a total jackass in Camp Rock Girl.)**

**And then (drum roll please)... I finally figured out how to start my other Luke/Tess story! Yay! In all my benevolence, and because I'm in a good mood since starting in on my new idea, I'm going to give you some little tidbits. Called "Tear it Down Again", it's a Tess/Luke (duh) futurefic, set a couple years after the events of Camp Wars. Still haven't decided if I'm going to make the events of CRG (ie: them sleeping together after the campfire, and then her running away back to Camp Rock) canon for that. More details coming soon, and then hopefully the first chapter will be up before March. I'm so excited!**

**So review, please, and tell me what you thought. Did I pull it off? Was the ending too rushed or cliche? What was your overall impression of the story as a whole? Are you looking forward to the still-untitled companion fic and "Tear it Down Again"? (Please say yes...)**

**And so, it is with a heavy heart, that I bid you all adieu for the last time. Farewell, my friends, until we meet again.**

**- Authoress**


End file.
